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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25140418">The Adventures of an Elfling</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfyon/pseuds/halfyon'>halfyon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Age Regression/De-Aging, Baby Elves, Coming of Age, Culture Shock, Elfling, Elves, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Modern Girl in Middle Earth, Pre-Lord of The Rings, Protective Elves, Slice of Life</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:07:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,742</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25140418</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfyon/pseuds/halfyon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The elves of Rivendell lived what most people would consider to be an idyllic lifestyle. They sang, they ate, and lastly, they enjoyed each other’s company. Their centuries, nay, eons worth of downtime was disrupted one day by an odd elfling claiming to be from another world. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but would a flock of overly helpful and inexperienced elves be enough? </p><p>Human elflings were hardly common in Middle-Earth, after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aragorn | Estel &amp; Original Female Character(s), Elrond Peredhel &amp; Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>82</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>256</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This fic has been rewritten as of 3/7/2021 with the help of my awesome beta, Leona2016. She helped a ton with grammar, plot holes, and just about everything! Chapters 1-8 have been totally revamped and improved, thanks to her, and for returning readers, feel free to go and reread some of the stuff. There are a few plot changes, but it shouldn't changed the future chapters too drastically. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Samantha Brooks was, by all means, a normal girl. Just picture your stereotypical high schooler, and you'll have a pretty accurate idea of what she was like. She played the flute in her school band, was going through a rebellious phase with her parents, and liked ice cream along with the other ninety-nine percent of the population.</p>
<p>Her parents were as normal as could be. In fact, they excelled at being normal. Of course, her family owned the most common breed of dogs: a golden retriever. His name was Rex, just like a gazillion other dogs just like him. And on days when it wasn’t parked in its usual spot on the drive, they drove a non-descript Honda civic.</p>
<p>Another thing in which Sam proved to be like most teenagers was that, above anything, she wished for something different and exciting to happen. If only to break the dull and predictable pattern of her mundane and peaceful life.</p>
<p>As a kid, Sam had always dreamed of a portal opening out of nowhere, whisking her away to other worlds. Worlds in which she would have adventures and prove to be an awesome heroine for whom every monster or foe was no match. It wasn’t a realistic dream, but it was <em>her</em> dream. One that had been fed by an overactive imagination, an overdose of fantasy and sci-fi stories, and an envy of most if not all the protagonists she read about or watched.</p>
<p>These childhood imaginations slowly went away as she grew up, and reality filled the void they left in their wake. She knew she would never be the heroine of a story, just as she knew there would be no hero to save her. An ordinary life for an ordinary person seemed to be all Sam was destined for. The sooner she accepted this, the less devastating the inevitable disappointment would be. However, that didn’t stop her from occasionally indulging herself with her silly daydreams every so often.</p>
<p>"Sam!" The sharp voice of her friend Alice jolted Sam out of her reverie. "Do you want me to walk you home? You seem out of it today."</p>
<p>Sam looked up in mild surprise. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she had forgotten that her friend was by her side. </p>
<p>“W-What? Oh. Uh... No thanks. I’m okay,” Sam replied hurriedly.</p>
<p>"Alright then," Alice said with a shrug, not wanting to push the matter further. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"</p>
<p>"Sure." Sam waved at her friend, watching her retreating back for a few seconds until she was out of sight.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Once she was alone, she sighed and kicked a pile of fallen leaves on the sidewalk, staring forlornly as they slowly floated back to the ground. A spike of loneliness hit her, and she half regretted not having taken her friend up on the offer of walking her home. While she had never been extroverted – she never liked having too many people around her at once – being all alone had always scared her. Which was why the hollowness that had blossomed in her chest when her friend had walked on felt like a bright light leaving her on her own in the dark. Deciding to hurry home to be rid of the growing loneliness, she quickly continued home, already taking off her backpack and searching for her keys.</p>
<p>Her hurried pace faltered a little when she walked up their driveway, suddenly aware of an unnerving silence that had blanketed the neighborhood. A glance around told her that no one other than herself was outside, and she frowned at the unusual sight, quickly unlocking the door. </p>
<p>“I’m home!” Her shout went unanswered, causing her frown to deepen. Not even Rex had come padding over to greet her.</p>
<p>Sam spied a note and some money on the table, and her heart sank. Her parents weren't home. <em>Again.</em> It wasn't as if their jobs were especially taxing, they just always seemed to have something more important to do. Something more important than her. She picked the note up, a miserable feeling settling in her stomach, and deciphered her mother's loopy handwriting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Hi Sam,</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>Your dad and I had to deal with an emergency concerning your uncle and won't be back until next Monday at the earliest. Please take care of the house and Rex while we're gone. The money is for groceries, NOT snacks and video games. We'll call you later to make sure you haven't burned down the house!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>P.S. There are some leftovers in the fridge so don't spend more money than you need to.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Love,</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>Mom and dad.</em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>With trembling hands, Sam placed the note back on the table, feeling white-hot tears burning behind her eyes. The silence of the house suddenly felt extremely piercing, the earlier feeling of loneliness intensifying. It wasn’t like she enjoyed her mom’s constant nagging or her dad's dumb jokes, but damn it she just didn't want to be alone. She briefly considered having a pizza night, but ultimately decided against it – it just wasn’t the same by herself.</p>
<p>Sam heaved a great sigh, snatched the money and stuffed it all in her backpack. If her parents didn't want to waste money on snacks, they should be here instead of ... whatever it was that they were doing. Thinking of her absent parents introduced a vengeful surge to her loneliness. And vengeance it would be if spent the money they had left her on as many snacks as it would buy her at the nearest Walmart. Maybe she would even throw in a video game too, if she felt like it. She strode out of her house purposefully, grabbing her bus pass and a warmer hoodie on her way out.</p>
<p>Sam exited Walmart not half an hour later, clutching two filled bags of various snacks and drinks, the door making a pleasant ding as it slid open for her.  She knew she was going to get a terrible stomach-ache later if she were to eat to her heart's desires, but she didn't care. After all, her parents weren't there to police her, she thought with a savage smirk.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She hummed as she skipped to the bus stop, ready to go home and enjoy her spoils. The sky had darkened slightly, and she was worried that she had taken too long deliberating in front of the snacks section. Wanting to make sure she didn’t miss the bus, she hurried along.</p>
<p>Ten minutes had passed, and still, no sign of the bus coming. Checking her phone, she frowned when she saw the time: half past seven. She started sifting through her purchases in an attempt to not fixate on her growing unease.</p>
<p>Another ten minutes had passed, and finally, the bus came. With a relieved smile, she jumped from the bench and hurriedly climbed up the metal stairs of the bus, swiping her pass as she entered. Finding herself a seat in the back of the bus, she glanced out the window and saw that the sky was almost completely dark now. Her uneasy feeling from before returned, and she couldn't help but feel anxious to be safely home. Perhaps it hadn’t been worth it to have come out here just to spite her parents.</p>
<p>The bus finally stopped at her desired destination after about twenty minutes, and Sam quickly thanked the bus driver before hopping off and sprinted home. As she neared her doorstep, the sense of unease that had been bubbling under the surface stirred almost warningly. Taking a step back quickly in alarm, Sam reflexively glanced around her, half expecting something to spring at her from the dark. When nothing did, she relaxed a tiny bit and laughed quietly at her paranoia. <em>What scary monster could there be in this peaceful suburb?</em> She thought with a snicker. Giving her surroundings a careful scan one last time for good measure, she moved on.</p>
<p>As she took a step closer to her front door, however, she noticed that it was slightly ajar. Chiding herself internally for forgetting to lock the door, she silently pushed it open and took a tentative step inside. The house was completely dark, and feeling increasingly uncomfortable, Sam groped her way to the light switch and flipped. Nothing happened.</p>
<p>She tried again. And again. The lights still weren't working. Frowning in apprehension, she cautiously headed over to the kitchen where Rex’s pen was. "Rex! Come here, boy!" she called out softly. No response.</p>
<p>Overcame with worry, Sam gathered what little courage she had and sprang forward, only to bump against the edge of the marble dining table. After letting out a few curses she continued, when she felt her feet getting caught on something invisible. Puzzled, she stopped and tried to unstick herself.</p>
<p>Fear coursed through her as she found that she was paralyzed from the waist down. <em>What?</em> She thought, panicking. Before she could do anything else, a black portal opened beneath her and swallowed her whole. She opened her mouth in an attempt to scream, but nothing came out.</p>
<p>She could feel herself free falling, a strong wind buffeted her hair, making it extremely difficult to see. Not that there was anything to see anyway, the inside of the portal was pitch black.</p>
<p>The portal that took her vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving no trace of the girl having ever existed in the house.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Sam regained consciousness, she realized very quickly she was no longer in her living room. In fact, she didn’t seem to be anywhere near her house, or even her neighborhood anymore. The cars, houses, and people were all gone. Instead, there were only trees and grass and rocks. Although she had always been very fond of camping in the national parks with her parents, this was different. This <em>felt </em>different. She was surrounded by a vast stretch of untamed wilderness.</p>
<p>“What on Earth…?” she mumbled out loud, trying to wrap her head around her sudden displacement via the strange portal.</p>
<p><em>This is bad</em>, <em>right? The weird portal must have done something weird to me. How else would I be so far away from civilization? Am I even still in the States? </em>Fighting back a wave of steadily rising panic, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. <em>In and out. In and out. In and out… </em>Once she was sure she wasn’t about to have an immediate panic attack, she resolved to take a stab at figuring out her location.</p>
<p>The first thing she thought to do was check her phone. Digging into her pocket, she pulled it out and quickly turned it on. No reception.  She slipped her phone back in her pocket and let out a deep sigh.</p>
<p>Slowly and with a bit of struggle, she stood shakily, but before she even took a single step she noticed something was wrong with her movement. It was slow, clumsy, and a bit uncoordinated. Sam knew she wasn’t the most athletic person out there, but she wasn’t <em>this</em> bad. Another red flag that jumped out at her was that, at full height, she was barely taller than the bush next to her. <em>How can this be?</em> Unless everything around her had been enlarged to a comical point; or she had shrunk.</p>
<p>With no small amount of trepidation, she looked down at her own body, fearing the worst. What met her eyes made her draw in a sharp breath – she <em>had</em> shrunk! Well, not exactly, but she had the body of a kid no older than six! Her arms and fingers were small and sort of pudgy, and despite the dire situation the only thing she could think of was that she could no longer play the flute!</p>
<p>Hearing the sound of running water, she looked around, trying to the source for it. Perhaps she could use the water as a reflective surface to make sure her eyes weren’t deceiving her. Her wandering eyes landed on a swift-flowing river to her right. That will do. In her hurry to reach it, she tripped over her small feet and tumbled over some sharp rocks. Biting back a pained wail, the girl cursed her uncoordinated limbs and unsteadily got back on her feet. Now, taking extra care not to trip, she made her way to the river, making sure to slow down this time. Crouching on the riverbank, she carefully leaned over the edge so as to not take an unwanted bath.</p>
<p>Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw in the swiftly flowing river. Her face, while it still had the same blue eyes and brown hair, was a freaking kid’s face! And not just the type where an adult with slightly chubby cheeks gets called a babyface. Nope. Her entire body had morphed into a kid. What was even more shocking, though weird might be the better word, her once round ears were pointed. <em>Pointed! </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sam let out a hysterical but humorous laugh. <em>What even…? </em>She rubbed her eyes, hard, hoping that whatever she saw in the water was a figment of her imagination. Nope. The image in the river was very much the same, with the slight exception of her having redder eyes.</p>
<p><em>Well, at least I look cute. </em>Her cheeks were soft and slightly chubby, and her straight brown hair cascaded behind her smoothly. Strangely enough, though, she had a weird sort of glow surrounding her, making her look like some sort of weird lamp —or a toddler version of Arwen.</p>
<p><em>So, I’m some sort of elf now, huh? I mean it could be worse, I guess. Although being small is going to be a bit troublesome. </em>Sam sank down on the stony riverbank, her pudgy and small fingers playing absentmindedly with her novel new ears. <em>Well, I’ve always wanted adventure right, and what is more adventurous than being an elf in the middle of nowhere? </em>Suddenly, all her past thoughts about being able to be the fearless protagonist from her favorite stories seemed silly. She certainly did not feel brave, nor did she feel like she could take on any enemies, let alone the horrifying monsters in said stories. With a frown, she splashed the water with her hand, recoiling when it soaked her clothes. <em>Wait, my clothes. </em>Her clothes hadn’t shrunken as she did, and her once fitting hoodie was now hanging slightly below her knees, the sleeves dangling above the grass.</p>
<p>Rolling up her sleeves as much as they would allow, she checked the river for her reflection once more. The outfit looked so absurd she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Hopefully, no one will mistake her for some sort of hobo on the road.</p>
<p>Chuckling self-deprecatingly to herself, Sam walked back over to where she landed to check for any belongings that might have come with her. Her black backpack had crash-landed on a rock, and her plastic Walmart bag had ended up about a few yards away. Rushing over to check the intactness of her food and items, she almost tripped over another rock.</p>
<p>Cursing her new clumsiness, she steadied herself and continued walking at a slower pace. She reached her backpack first, but to her chagrin, she found that she couldn’t lift it. The stupid bag was probably half her weight, she thought angrily. Undeterred, she focused all her power into dragging it over to her plastic bag so she could take inventory.</p>
<p>It was slow going and extremely taxing to her tiny body, but she eventually did it. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she grinned proudly and sat down intending to throw away some textbooks to lighten the load. Sifting through her bag, she threw her annoying geometry textbook and her social studies binder away with a flourish, and then immediately cringed at the tainted landscape. Then again, it wasn’t like she could physically carry around all that weight. She had no choice.</p>
<p>After getting rid of a few more useless items, she was reasonably satisfied with the weight of the backpack, and thus moved on to the plastic bag. Inspecting it, she saw that the coke and sprite bottles had cracked open and were slowly oozing into the crystal pure river. <em>Dang, not only am I a horrible litterer, but I also lost my drinks.</em> Taking the rest of the snacks in the bag and stuffing it in her backpack, she was ready to hit the road. Wherever that may take her.</p>
<p>Recalling some random article on the Internet about survival, Sam vaguely knew she was supposed to follow the river for a constant source of water. Outside of that, however, she couldn’t remember anything that could apply to her current situation. She did have a good amount of non-perishable food so she wouldn’t have to worry about foraging.</p>
<p>Waving her concerns away, she instead looked around to admire the beautiful scenery. Now that she was hiking through it, the vibrant forest seemed more inviting than it had before. The trees were a fiery red with a few bright yellow pigments dotting them at random. Fall was truly a gorgeous season. If her phone was fully charged, she’d be taking pictures like the rabid tourists she often sees at the Golden Gate Bridge.</p>
<p>One positive aspect of her current situation was that her senses seemed to have sharpened way past human capabilities. She could now see eagles gliding in the sky miles and miles away. On top of that, her hearing allowed her to hear scuttles of little squirrels and the thud of an acorn falling from her tree. Her sense of smell had also improved, and she found herself taking in the rich scents of the earth along with the growing stench on her own sweaty body.</p>
<p><em>Well, I guess no one can sneak up on me now,</em> she thought joyously, remembering all the instances of her dog jumping on her back and scaring the crap out of her.</p>
<p>Oh no, her dog! How could she have forgotten? She paused mid-stride with worry and concern.<em> Rex must be okay, right?</em> She prayed that her parents had noticed her disappearance and went back home to check on Rex. There was nothing that she could do now for her poor dog. And hey, who knows, maybe this was only an elaborate prank or dream and she’d be safely back home with her dog before she knew it. The rational part of her was skeptical of this theory -- but she pushed on, unwilling to let her worries get her down.</p>
<p>So she continued her hike for what felt like hours along the riverside, only stopping to drink from it or eat a few gummy bears. The sky was slowly darkening, and she knew she had to find some sort of shelter for the night. She was unwilling to go too far from the river – lest she got lost and couldn’t find it again -- so the best sleeping spot she could think of was under a nearby tree.</p>
<p>With an unhappy grunt, she swung the backpack off her shoulders and placed it gingerly against the biggest tree she could find. Slumping down herself against its bark, she curled up into her warm hoodie and slowly drifted into a fitful sleep.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sam woke up early the next morning, much to her surprise. She had never been an early riser, always preferring to wake at the last possible moment. The sun had only just risen, casting a beautiful yellow glow over the entire forest, the yellow rays streaming through the trees like amber threads. Yawning, she stretched exaggeratedly, pulling both arms behind her and hearing the satisfying snap of her bones shifting. She got to her feet, rummaged around for something that could resemble breakfast and started on her way again.</p>
<p>Although Sam had no real ideas as to what she was or should be looking for, she hoped to find civilization but at the same time she was also afraid of what she might find there. Was it going to be a modern town that she was used to? Or would it be a medieval town like in the fictional stories that contained elves? The very fact that she now resembled an elf made her suspect she might not even be on Earth anymore. These questions plagued her mind the entire way, making her increasingly jumpy and afraid. Her enhanced senses didn’t help alleviate her concerns, as she leapt up at every sound she heard. </p>
<p>Sam walked and walked, her small body getting progressively more tired and cramped. She still wasn’t used to her small form and constantly tripped over tree roots and rocks. Frustration bubbled, threatening to blow up into a full tantrum. Sam didn’t give in to it though – if she did it would surely mean that her mind had also regressed. So she continued her march, turning her intrusive thoughts elsewhere.</p>
<p>The sun slowly set, and Sam still hadn’t found anything noteworthy. The closest to it was a put-out campfire in a clearing, which meant there were people in this area, but they weren’t showing themselves to her for better or for worse. It appeared to have been there for ages though, as the wood had decayed and there were fallen leaves piled on top of it.</p>
<p>It was slightly windy the next day, and the wind picked up random scents from the forest confusing her overly enhanced sense of smell. The sound of wind and the rustling of the leaves in its wake were all the newly turned elf could hear. Scowling slightly at this new development, she walked slower so that her overwhelmed senses didn’t make her walk into something she shouldn’t.</p>
<p>She continued walking for the better half of the day, until the skies had darkened considerably.  Feeling a noticeable gloom in the darkness, decided to sing quietly to herself. As she sang, she slowly forgot about her surroundings and the potential danger, instead putting all her focus into trying to remember the right lyrics. To her surprise, it seemed as if even her vocal cords had been improved; her singing voice had gotten much better.</p>
<p>The volume of her singing increased the more she got into it, and she belted out songs after songs in her childish voice. The cheerful songs dispersed the gloomy air, seemingly brightening the air around her. </p>
<p>The trees in front of her slowly thinned out, and a few yards away lay a large clearing with a camp. If she hadn’t been so focused on her silly tune, she would’ve spotted it sooner and proceeded with more caution. As it was, she foolishly walked right into the camp. Now, this would have been a welcoming sight to Sam who was in great need of human contact, if not for the fact that the camp was inhabited by not men, but something else. Her blood ran cold, as if she had been dunked into a tank of ice water on a sunny day. Her breath hitched, the cheery song dying in her throat, and she could feel the panic rising as her brain caught up with her eyes.</p>
<p>It was a camp populated by creatures with rotting skin and acid yellow eyes filled with pure hatred. Sam was now certain she wasn’t on Earth anymore – Earth never had such disgusting creatures. She had always thought that the books depicting monsters were laying it on a bit thick when describing evil creatures, but she now knew exactly what they were trying to depict. There were seven of them in total, all armed to the teeth with swords and knives. While they weren’t as tall as grown people, they still seemed gargantuan to Sam in her newly acquired, toddler-sized body. Her singing had given her away, and all of them had their weapons in hand ready to attack.</p>
<p>The creatures looked straight at her with nasty grins, baring their crooked yellow teeth. The biggest one, presumably the leader, moved toward her menacingly while making guttural noises. The noises seemed to be some sort of language, but Sam had no clue what it was supposed to be.</p>
<p>The creature wasn’t moving at the fastest pace, no doubt deeming Sam to be easy prey and not wanting to waste energy on her. Trembling, she backed up a few steps, desperately willing her brain to kick into gear and think of an idea -- anything.</p>
<p>“Stay back!” Sam yelled with false bravado, her tiny palm raised as if she was stopping traffic. The orcs-like creatures, unsurprisingly, ignored her and continued advancing.</p>
<p>She highly doubted running would do anything for her; her short and uncoordinated legs were a hindrance more than anything. Unfortunately, she had no weapon either, so fighting was out of the question. She would need a distraction, and then she’d run for her life — it was her best chance at surviving this, while not the coolest way. </p>
<p>Heart hammering in her chest, she threw her precious backpack with all her might straight at the advancing orc wannabe. The bag sailed a good few meters and then, to her horror, dropped like a sack of potatoes with a soft thud an inch in front of the orc. The sound rang loudly in her ear, and all the orcs turned their heads to the bag.  If the situation wasn't so dire, she would have laughed.</p>
<p>Instead, she turned tail and ran. She ran like the time a neighbor’s dog had chased her until the owner had called him back. She could hear the orcs behind her, howling in rage and shouting in their strange language. She didn’t dare look back, for she knew if she did, fear and despair would render her immobile; she pretended it was only the neighbor’s evil dog chasing her again.</p>
<p>Her vision blurred slightly, and her cheeks streaked with hot tears; she was going to die. The orcs behind her were now hooting with their ugly voices, no doubt taunting her. They sounded frighteningly close, and Sam could feel her breath rattle against her lungs, begging for her to stop running and take a break.</p>
<p>There was a tree root in her way. Her brain vaguely noted it, but her body couldn’t react in time and she hurled herself at breakneck speed directly into it. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, the root sending her sprawling hard onto the unforgiving earth. The orcs yipped excitedly. They knew she was done for, as did she. All she could hear were the smug grunts coming from the orcs and the clangs of their armor as they were almost upon her. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She braced herself, expecting the worst. But before anything happened, she felt soft tremors in the earth and the sound of something thundering over the grass from a short distance away filled the tense air. <em>Were there more orcs coming?</em> The orcs, however, paused and turned their attention to whatever it was that was approaching.</p>
<p>Taking the opportunity, Sam used her arm to prop herself up, groaning in pain at her protesting muscles. Once she was in a sitting position, she scooted away from the nearest smelly orc to free herself from the horrid stench. Her efforts were thwarted, as it grabbed the hem of her hoodie and wrenched her to him. Biting back a scream, Sam whimpered and tugged at the offending hand.</p>
<p>The tremors got bigger and bigger, and the orc holding her appeared unnerved by it. Perhaps it wasn’t orcs coming after all?</p>
<p>There was a swooshing noise alarmingly close to her ear, and with great apprehension, she noted an arrow embedded in the tree to her immediate right. The arrow had hit the tree so hard that the wood had cracked and only the feather bit was visible.</p>
<p>Unable to see their attackers in the darkness, the orcs spun around in circles and waved their swords threateningly. Some tried rushing in the direction of the arrows, only to get hit by one and fall on their face. One of them thought of the horrible idea to use her as a meat shield by holding her in front of his chest. With the sun gone, whoever it was shooting them would have a hard time distinguishing her from the orcs, not to mention that they probably weren’t expecting someone like her to be in the midst of the orc pack. She struggled in vain against the orc, the hold proving too strong for her to get free of.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>More arrows streamed by. Whoever it was must be an experienced shooter as most of them met their marks.</p>
<p>An arrow whizzed right above Sam’s head, piercing the orc which was holding her right through the head. With a grunt, its grasp on Sam went slack, and she was dropped to the floor unceremoniously. Trying to control the bile threatening to rise in her throat, she quickly scooted away from it and the rest of the corpses. Dimly, the survivalist side of her urged her to run or hide, but she could only stare at the surrounding corpses of orcs in disbelief. The dreadful but undeniably real sight made the insanity of the situation register, but all too clear and she promptly burst into quiet sobs.</p>
<p>It seemed she had gotten her wish. She was in the middle of an adventure, alright. Sam just wasn’t sure she liked it all that much…</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you guys for reading and reviewing!  I appreciate the support and encouragement. Hope you guys enjoyed this new chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The aftermath of the massacre wasn’t pretty. The corpses of the orcs were strewn messily across the clearing, with random arrows protruding from various body parts. Their black blood stained the once pure earth, leaving a stench there too.</p><p>The arrows had stopped a while ago, but the shooters were still nowhere to be seen. Soft footsteps could be heard approaching and they were so quiet that she wouldn’t have heard them without her superior hearing. It was a far cry from the thundering approach previously, and Sam wondered if they were trying to ambush the remaining orcs — not that there were any.</p><p>The sound of footsteps grew nearer, prompting Sam to quickly get up and silently hide behind the biggest tree she could spot. Mere moments later, the orc killers streamed in and began inspecting the corpses. Curiosity piqued, she strained her ears in an attempt to eavesdrop. To her great dismay, they were speaking softly and swiftly, only allowing her to catch short snippets of their conversation. What was bewildering about it was that it didn’t sound like English, but she could still understand the few words she managed to overhear. She wondered if this was how Harry Potter felt when the snake started conversing with him at the zoo.</p><p>This language sounded beautiful and melodic—song-like almost— which was a great welcome after the orc’s raspy voices. Their quiet voices also had an elegant quality to them—smooth, clear, and easy on the ears. She found herself quite enchanted by the it, her tears forgotten for the moment.</p><p>From the pitch of the voices, she deduced that there were at least two men. One of them sounded vaguely disgusted and angry, the other quieter and appearing to be trying to calm the other man. The two of them walked around, stopping at times to check if the orcs were alive or not, presumably. Wanting to sneak a peek at her saviors and be able to hear better, Sam carefully took a step out from behind her tree. It proved to be a mistake, as she had stepped on a twig, releasing a faint snapping noise. Freezing for a millisecond Sam held her breath, praying that they hadn’t heard. But it was too late and the damage had been done. The men had ceased their conversation.</p><p> </p><p><em>Stupid! Stupid! Stupid</em>—her self-deprecating thoughts were interrupted when one of the group’s members called out to her commandingly in a different language that sounded familiar. It sounded vaguely welsh, in fact.</p><p><em>Oh no! What do I do? </em>She assumed they were asking her to show herself or they’d shoot her. Sam frustratedly wondered why they decided to switch languages out of the blue, perhaps the one they’re using is the common language around these parts.</p><p>She considered bolting for it as her last resort, but ultimately decided it would be pointless to even try; if she couldn’t outrun the orcs, there was no way she could outrun the people that had slain the orcs.</p><p>The man grew impatient during her moments of indecision and called out again in a more forceful tone.</p><p>Tentatively, Sam rose and took a tiny step away from the shelter of the tree. Squinting slightly, she observed the men staring her down. There were, indeed, only two men, both clad in outdoor gear and weathered cloaks. They looked identical with their matching long dark hair and dark eyes. <em>Twins perhaps</em>? The only difference between them was a necklace that only one had, if not for that they could pass for clones. Appearance-wise, they were well-kept — clothes neat and crisp, face smooth and flawless, devoid of grime— not someone you would expect to be out in the wild. They had the same faint glow she had and were slightly ethereal looking— almost fairy-like. They were also very, very tall. She would be the first to admit that she wasn’t the best judge of height now that she was so short, but she was certain they were about as tall as NBA players, if not taller.</p><p>The two of them were honestly the most beautiful human beings she had ever laid eyes on, and she bet modeling companies would pay good money for their time. The last and most important thing she noticed were their ears — their very noticeably pointed ears. She couldn’t help but gape at the ears that were like her own.</p><p>To them, she must’ve been quite a sight. Blood and spittle were littered on her face, and her once immaculate white hoodie was now speckled with brown and gray from all the tumbling she did earlier. Her hair, once straight and clean, was now matted and dirty, with some twigs and dirt stuck in some parts.</p><p>Just then she noticed that one of them had a large bow drawn and aimed in her direction. Whimpering in fear, she retreated, pressing her back firmly into the tree.</p><p>“A child!” twin number one said, sounding shocked and slightly pained. Sam noticed that he had switched back to the song-like language, the one she could understand.</p><p>How they could tell she was a human child through all the layers of grime and dirt was beyond her, but she was glad nonetheless. She allowed herself a small sigh of relief; they probably wouldn’t shoot a child. To her even greater relief, the twin with the bow had quickly stowed it away at her frightened expression. Both of them wore concerned expressions, and she could almost feel the worry and guilt radiating from them.</p><p>Twin number two took a tentative step toward Sam with his arms up in a universal gesture of peace. When he saw that Sam didn’t back up further—not that she could—he quickly approached and crouched down to her height, with the other twin not far behind. He once again switched back to the other language she couldn’t understand and spoke slowly and gently, as if talking to an injured animal.</p><p>Sam only stared at him owlishly, unsure of how to inform him of her inability to understand.</p><p>An awkward pause elapsed, but the one who spoke didn’t seem phased that Sam wasn’t responding. He spoke again, this time with a questioning tone, looking at Sam expectantly when he was done.</p><p>“Um,” she said finally, “I don’t know what you're saying.”</p><p>The twins exchanged shocked looks.</p><p>“You...speak Sindarin?” twin two asked, switching language.</p><p>“Erm, I don’t know what that is,” she answered truthfully.</p><p>“A child who speaks Sindarin, wandering around all alone in the woods at night! With orcs around no less!” said twin one with disbelief evident in his voice.</p><p>“Elladan!” twin two said in a warning voice before turning back to Sam with a soft expression. “Forgive us for frightening you further. You must be wary and terrified by the orcs, and we only exacerbated it! We mean you no harm, and will never hurt you. Please do not be afraid!”</p><p>Twin one, or Elladan, seemed to break out of his stupor and asked, “Did the orcs maim you?” His hand reached out and hovered uncertainty in front of Sam as if to check for injuries, but was swiftly retracted at Sam’s distressed expression.</p><p>Sam shook her head as a response, eliciting a small, relieved smile from the elf.</p><p>“Well, it will not do to speak in the company of these foul creatures,” twin two said. “I bid you to accompany us to our home. The woods are not safe as I am sure you know by now.”</p><p>At Sam’s slightly alarmed look, he quickly added, “We will not let anything hurt you, you have our word.”</p><p>“Wait, before that. W-what…” she stopped herself short, realizing that phrasing it like that might be rude. “Who are you?” she asked instead.</p><p> “How rude of us to not have introduced ourselves! My name is Elrohir, and this here is my brother Elladan.” Elladan gave a small wave at his mention.</p><p><em>Elladan and Elrohir? As in the elves from Middle-earth? Surely not</em>.</p><p>“My name’s Samantha, but everyone calls me Sam,” she offered hesitantly.</p><p>“Well met Sam!” he pronounced Sam’s name somewhat awkwardly, but she didn’t think much of it. “Now how about it, would you like to come with us?”</p><p>Nodding, Sam made a move to walk closer to them, but a wave of exhaustion hit her and she felt very faint all of the sudden. <em>Oh, shoot,</em> was her last thought as she felt herself hurtling toward the ground, and the last thing she saw was one of the twins catching her with a look of panic.</p><p>Sam once again, woke up to an unfamiliar location. She was laying down on a makeshift bed _ of a soft fabric, with a bundle of clothes as her pillow. She could hear birds chirping happily. It must be morning. The aching muscles from yesterday had receded somewhat, and she could trust her body to move again. She rubbed her eyes groggily to clear her sleepiness.</p><p>XXX</p><p>“Ah! The child has awoken,” a voice said to her right.</p><p>Sitting up slowly, Sam saw the smiling face of Elrohir.</p><p>“We apologize for last night,” he said, his smile faltering slightly. “We must have frightened you a great deal for you to have passed out. How are you faring?”</p><p>“Better than last night I think.”</p><p>“Good! You must be hungry.” He offered her a bread roll. “When was the last time you had food?”</p><p>“I had some candy earlier,” she said, eagerly reaching for the bread and shoving it down her throat greedily. The twins chuckled at her behavior, causing her to blush slightly.</p><p>“Um,” Sam said in between bites, “This might sound insane, but are you guys…” she hesitated at the word, “elves?”</p><p>Elladan grinned. “Why yes, my lady!” he said. “What gave it away? Was it by chance my fair countenance or my melodious voice?”</p><p>Sam’s face went a little pale at that, as it was confirmation that she too, was an elf. Mentally creating a list of fictional universes with elves and orcs in them, she concluded that the most likely one was Middle-earth.</p><p>For now though, she thought she ought to tell the twins that she was an elf as well, before things got more convoluted.</p><p>Their reactions were comically exaggerated, and she was bewildered. Were randomly lost elflings such a rare occurrence? Now that she thought of it, she can’t quite recall ever seeing elvish children in the films. Low birth rates maybe?</p><p>“An elfling?” Elladan exclaimed, shock and disbelief resonating in his voice. “How could it be?”</p><p>Elrohir looked equally shocked and was mouthing the word elfling silently to himself.</p><p>Feeling the inexplicable need to prove she wasn’t a liar, she tucked the stray hairs behind her ear, revealing her newly acquired pointed ears.</p><p>Both elves stopped and stared unabashedly at her ears, making her feel incredibly self-conscious.</p><p>“I apologize if we have made you uncomfortable,” Elladan said finally, shock still lingering in his voice. “We are surprised because it has been thousands of years since the last elfling was born!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Indeed,” Elrohir said. “You, my child, are a blessing! I never thought I would see another elfling in Arda after my sister Arwen was born. Oh, I cannot wait to see father’s reaction.”</p><p>“Oh, yes,” his brother agreed. “Father would be most joyous.”</p><p>“I’m fifteen actually,” she blurted out, “not a child anymore.”</p><p>“Why, yes,” Elladan said, sounding confused. “You look to be fifteen. That still makes you a child, does it not?”</p><p>“I look fifteen?” Sam asked incredulously. “I’m probably smaller than most five-year-old’s!”</p><p>“You would be five in human standards,” Elladan agreed. “But we are elves, and elves age much slower. Say, were you not around elves growing up? Who and where are your parents?”</p><p>“I grew up with humans, and I was one until a few days ago. My parents are really far away, and I’m really lost. I don’t even know where I am,” she rambled, tears threatening to well up at the mention of her parents.</p><p>“Whoa, calm down little one,” Elrohir said placatingly, putting his arm around her shoulders gently. If he was put-off by what she had told him he didn’t show it. Sam could hardly feel it, too busy spiraling and feeling sorry for herself. Letting it all out made the entire situation feel real and not just a fever dream as she had originally thought. She wasn’t sure which scenario was better.</p><p>“Take a deep breath,” he continued. “Do not fret—let us discuss this further in Imladris with my father, he is more privy to matters such as these and is wise beyond his years. What is important now is that you are safe and in good hands. We can deal with your other issues later.”</p><p>“But what if he doesn’t know either? Or if he doesn’t want to help?” she said, voice quavering a little.</p><p>“Father will definitely know what to do and would never turn away an elfling in need. If need be, you are welcome to remain in Imladris for any length of time,” he said reassuringly. “Do you feel up to the journey? It is not far, a two-day ride on horseback.”</p><p>“I guess so,” she said, taking a steadying breath. She knew they were only trying to make her feel better, but she felt even more lost and confused than before. If their father did manage to figure out how she got here and how to send her back, would she actually take him up on it? She never thought she was the type to run from a challenge the moment things got hard, but now that she was experiencing it firsthand she was much more hesitant. There was nothing for it but to cross that bridge when she actually got there.</p><p>“Excellent,” he said. “Then let us make haste. We shall depart for Imladris once we’ve erased all traces from our camp.”</p><p>The two of them started stowing various things into their huge packs, reminding Sam of her own backpack.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t suppose we can retrieve my lost backpack?” she asked despairingly.</p><p>“Oh, you mean this?” Elladan said, yanking her backpack up from behind a rock. “We recovered it when we raided the orcs’ camp.”</p><p>“Thank you so much!” she said in slight shock and awe.</p><p>“If you wish, I could put it with my other belongings so you needn’t be burdened by it.”</p><p>“Yeah,” she said. “Thanks again.”</p><p>“You talk strangely,” Elrohir noted as he hoisted a pack onto his shoulders. “I have never heard anyone talk as you do, it is rather ... refreshing.”</p><p>“Like I said, I’m not exactly from around here,” Sam said with a small shrug.</p><p>“Intriguing,” he said. “Would you care to tell us more about your home?”</p><p>“I...maybe some other time,” she said, just thinking about her home made her upset. It was strange as she had despised her life back in California for being so mundane.</p><p>“I look forward to it!” he said kindly. “Now if you are ready, let us depart. Our horses await.”</p><p> </p><p>Sam stood and followed the two deeper into the woods, feeling slightly guilty about not carrying anything while they had heavy-looking bags slung on their backs. They didn’t look too bothered by them however, and held them with ease. They stopped a few feet away, and she saw two gorgeous stallions tethered to a tree. The horses were white and so majestic that she felt like they were too good to be ridden.</p><p>“So, Sam,” Elladan said. “Who would you rather ride with, my brother or me?”</p><p>“I do believe you will be better off riding with me,” Elrohir said with a small grin. “Elladan here once shoved our foster brother off a moving horse. Our poor Estel was only a child at the time!”</p><p>“I think I’ll ride with Elrohir,” Sam said immediately, moving closer to said elf.</p><p>“Oh, do not listen to him!” Elladan protested. “That was years ago, and the horse was moving at a snail’s pace. Estel was perfectly fine. Besides, I would never push you off Sam.”</p><p>It was too late, as Elrohir had already scooped Sam up and placed her on his horse.</p><p>“Better luck next time brother,” he mocked.</p><p>“You are not much kinder to Estel, I seem to recall a certain someone pranking Glorfindel and framing Estel for it,” Elladan shot back.</p><p>
  <em>Estel...why does that sound so familiar?</em>
</p><p>“Why, how dare you accuse me of doing something so horrible. Sam, do not believe his lies for a second. I am as innocent as a newborn babe!”</p><p>Elladan chuckled heartily at that and shook his head. Sam giggled along with him, amused by their exchange. She was mildly surprised that the two elves were so humorous, as they had seemed so serious the previous day. Maybe they were just trying to make her feel better and more at ease around them? If that was the case, she didn’t really mind and found herself liking them better this way.</p><p>Being on Elrohir’s horse made for quite the experience. The horse was tall, and since she was so small, she felt like she could fall off any second and snap her neck. The thought frightened her immensely, and she wrapped her short arms around the horse’s neck for support.</p><p>“Do not worry, child,” Elrohir said. “We were merely jesting. The horse will not let anyone fall off of him if I command it.”</p><p>He mounted fluidly behind her, with one arm he grasped the reins, and the other he put around Sam’s, firmly securing her.</p><p>And with that, the horses took off.</p><p> </p><p>The scenery changed into one of large cliffs and rocky mountains. It was some sort of gorge with huge cliffs surrounding the river she had been following. Lush bushes and small patches of grass littered the ground, providing a splash of color in the otherwise dull landscape. It was a welcome change to Sam as she was sick of seeing trees every single day. The ground had gradually gone from dirt to stone and pebbles, with the horse’s hooves making soft clapping sounds with each step. She was glad she had run into the twins, as it would’ve surely taken her much longer on foot. Her measly food supplies wouldn’t have lasted that long either and she shuddered to think of what could’ve happened.</p><p>They rode for the better part of the day, occasionally stopping for food and water. The breaks were never long, and Sam was swiftly growing tired of being on the horse. Saddle sores were no joke! Not to mention the slight motion sickness that she was starting to feel. She had to resist the urge to inundate Elrohir with questions of “how much longer?” or “When are we stopping?”</p><p>Sam took the opportunity to bathe herself during one of the breaks after asking the twins to turn away. She waded into the frigid waters of the swift-flowing river, stripped of her clothing, scrubbing off as much of the built-up grime as she could. Once she was satisfied with her cleanliness, she tried to clean off her shirt and shorts as best she could, leaving some wet stains on them.</p><p>The three rode until it was dark, stopping at a sheltered and relatively flat area to set up camp for the night. The twins had started a roaring fire, and they lounged around it enjoying its warmth. Elladan had fished up some bread rolls and Elrohir had gone and killed a bunny from god knows where. Sam had to turn away in revulsion as he skinned and roasted it above the fire. <em>So, elves aren’t vegetarians.</em> The two elves had a serious conversation going and occasionally asked Sam some random question, but outside of that she was content with watching the fire and listening to their voices.</p><p>Suddenly remembering something, she finally spoke up.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey um…” Sam started shyly, toying with the hem of her shirt. “I just wanted to let you know that … I’m thankful you guys saved me from the orcs.”</p><p>Elrohir’s eyes flashed with something akin to rage at the mention of orcs, sending shivers down Sam’s back. For a second, he looked like an intimidating warrior instead of the kind and playful brother figure Sam had seen, and it unsettled her. The look went away as quickly as it had come, and a sad look replaced it.</p><p>“We could have wounded you accidentally,” he said darkly. “We were too blinded by our rage and shot indiscriminately. You could have been hurt or worse.”</p><p>Not knowing what to say to that, Sam hung her head, her thoughts soon filling her head to such a degree that she couldn’t quite keep up with the conversation between the two elves when they started talking seriously again. Their voices soothed her, however, eventually lulling her into a growing drowsiness.</p><p>For the first time since she arrived, she felt cozy and safe; almost as if she were at home again with her parents and Rex as they just sat in front of the fireplace, watching some cheesy film on Netflix. With that thought and the crackling of the fire, the quiet voices of the twins, she closed her eyes and leaned on whoever it was sitting to the right of her, too tired to be embarrassed.</p><p>The voices stopped abruptly, and she felt herself being lifted into someone’s lap. She was too tired to protest, and just let it be, feeling warm and comfortable. <em>Perhaps it wasn’t</em> <em>so</em> <em>bad to be a child again after all. </em></p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I struggled a bit with this chapter seeing as Elladan and Elrohir weren't really shown much in canon. I tried to make it seem more realistic but idk if it worked that well. I'd love to know if you guys think Sam and the twins acted realistic enough in this chapter, so please let me know! But yeah, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Time to wake up, little one!” Elladan said in a sing-song voice, shaking Sam gently. “We can reach Imladris by noon if we hurry today!”</p>
<p>“Urgh,” came the elegant response.</p>
<p>“Come now, before I toss you in the frigid river,” he threatened.</p>
<p>“You wouldn’t.”</p>
<p>“Would you care to find out?”</p>
<p>Sam didn’t, and so she sat up reluctantly, grumbling as she did. It was way too early to be up and about—the sun had barely risen and it was still dark out. She guessed it was around five in the morning. The two of them had prepared a small breakfast consisting of stale bread. Again. There was a small addition of wild berries this time, and she smashed it against her share of bread pretending it was jam.</p>
<p>“Sam,” Elrohir said, mischief dancing in his eyes. “I have a proposition!”</p>
<p>“What is it?” Sam replied wearily, cringing at the sourness of the berries.</p>
<p>“We should wrap you in a cloak and hand it to father pretending it’s a gift, and when he unwraps the cloak, you spring forth and scare him!”</p>
<p>“That’s horrible! What kind of first impression would that be?”</p>
<p>“Oh, come now, father would not mind!”</p>
<p>“I’m sure he would,” she said. “I refuse.”</p>
<p>“Sam, please. I beg you,” Elrohir said. “Is this how you repay us for retrieving your belongings?”</p>
<p>“What? That’s not fair!” she protested. “You can’t use that against me.”</p>
<p>“Oh how regretful, Elladan,” Elrohir said dramatically. “I lament picking up such an ungrateful child who refuses to return a small favor! I—”</p>
<p>“Fine! Alright. I’ll do it,” she relented with a sigh. “But if Elrond drops me by accident, I’ll be holding you accountable.”</p>
<p>“Wonderful!” Elrohir exclaimed, ruffling her hair. “I knew you had a latent mischievous bone in you!”</p>
<p>“Yeah, right,” she said, squinting at him with mild annoyance.</p>
<p>She finished the last bit of her bread off and stood up brushing the crumbs off her clothes. “How much longer?”</p>
<p>“If all goes well, we shall see Imladris by late noon,” Elladan said. “I cannot wait to see father, it has been too long.”</p>
<p>“Long?” She asked curiously. “Are you two not home often?”</p>
<p>“We have a duty out here,” he said. “Father disapproves, but doesn’t interfere.”</p>
<p>“I see,” she said. She wondered what he meant by duty, though she didn’t want to ask as she sensed that he didn’t want to say much about this subject.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Once they all finished breakfast, they began riding. Today, they were riding at an even faster pace. The horses were moving with more purpose and direction, as if they had sensed their proximity to their home.</p>
<p>On the horse, Sam watched the sun rise beautifully over the horizon, casting a warm glow over the entire world. Her admiration for the scenery swiftly turned into wariness as it rose even higher, its light becoming ever brighter and hotter.</p>
<p>There were no trees to shelter them from the sweltering heat out here in the open, and she felt the molten sun baring its fangs at her. Strangely enough, her tolerance for the elements had weakened since becoming an elf. She thought it’d be the opposite—seeing how effortlessly Legolas had traversed the snowy mountain. Neither one of the twins appeared bothered by the heat and were riding their horses stoically as per usual.</p>
<p>Feeling envious, she settled for taking a nap; the heat and the rocking of the horse made it hard for sleep to come, but she was simply too exhausted from being woken so early in the morning and managed to fall asleep after some time of shifting around searching for the most comfortable position. After the events of last night, she was certain she could trust the twins enough to keep her from falling off the horse.</p>
<p>Sam jolted awake abruptly to Elrohir prodding her side. The sky was darker now and the heat had receded somewhat. The scenery had changed once again, and they were wading through a shallow gorge.</p>
<p>“Sam,” Elrohir said. “Imladris is mere moments away. Let us prepare for father’s surprise.”</p>
<p>“No! It's too hot to be in a cloak right now,” Sam grumbled, annoyed that her hard-earned sleep was being interrupted.</p>
<p>“Please Sam,” he said. “I’ll make sure you remain cool in there.” Seeing Sam’s unconvinced face, he added, “I’ll reward you with elvish dessert later.”</p>
<p>“Okay fine.” Her soft spot for sweets was too easily exploited.</p>
<p>Elrohir grinned and proceeded to suffocate her with his nice smelling cloak. Okay, not suffocate, the cloak was very breathable.<em> Seriously, what was it made out of? It was like being wrapped in a cloud.</em> Somehow she didn’t feel hot with the extra layer, even though it had kept her warm and toasty the other night. She marveled at elvish craftsmanship for being able to make something like this without any modern technology.</p>
<p>“Don’t even think about dropping me,” she warned, receiving a laugh in return.</p>
<p>“Have some faith! I haven’t failed you yet, have I?”</p>
<p>She felt them traveling up an increasingly steeper slope and before she knew it she could hear voices—voices that did <em>not </em>belong to the twins. Soon after, Elrohir dismounted while holding her as a bundle in her arms. Not being able to see was quickly becoming irritating, not to mention that she was being toted around like a sack of flour.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Rivendell was described as beautiful in the books, right? So why was she blindfolded for this?</em> She had been looking forward to seeing the elven city. The only sense remaining was hearing, and the only thing she could hear was the sound of rushing water.</p>
<p>Elrohir halted when the sound of rushing water had become more muffled, indicating they were indoors.</p>
<p>“Remember to remain silent when we hand you over to father,” Elladan whispered. “His hearing is as sharp as his wit.”</p>
<p>“Quick, father approaches,” Elrohir said. “He will be here momentarily, so ready yourself.”</p>
<p>Begrudgingly, she held her breath. <em>I honestly cannot believe I’m going to such lengths for these fools. </em></p>
<p>“Elladan! Elrohir!” called an unfamiliar voice. “I had heard news of your arrival but could hardly believe it. I had all but thought my sons had forsaken their dear old ada, yet here you two are—before my very eyes. Welcome home, my sons!</p>
<p>“Father!” Elrohir said, joy and mischief lacing his smooth voice. “We apologize for being gone for so long. As recompense, we come bearing gifts.” As he said the words, he shifted Sam a bit, presumably showing his father the bundle she was reduced to.</p>
<p>“I am certain you would love it,” Elladan added. “It is most ... delightful.”</p>
<p>
  <em>What the heck did that even mean? Delightful?</em>
</p>
<p>“Oh?” their ada said. “And what could my ungrateful sons have brought me?”</p>
<p>“You wound me,” Elrohir said, feigning sadness. “I shall keep it for myself then, for I refuse to relinquish it to ungrateful hands.”</p>
<p>
  <em>What was happening?</em>
</p>
<p>“Nay, brother of mine,” Elladan said. “I do not believe our … gift deserves the misfortune of having an owner such as yourself. Perhaps Glorfindel would be more worthy?”</p>
<p>
  <em>What?</em>
</p>
<p>“Why, Glorfindel, that blond dotard?” Elrohir said, snorting. “I would sooner eat my boot.”</p>
<p><em>Get me out! </em>Sam was so ready to unwrap herself and give the twins a piece of her mind.</p>
<p>“Alright, you’ve got me intrigued,” said Elrond with no small amount of exasperation. “Hand it over.”</p>
<p>“As you wish, ada,” Elrohir said, passing over Sam.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When the unknown elf started unwrapping the cloak, Sam felt a sudden surge of panic and nervousness.</p>
<p>The final fold became undone, the cloak unraveling around her. Recalling Elrohir’s instructions from the morning, she did her best to “spring forth” and “scare him”. Extending her arms toward the elf, she attempted to say the word ‘boo’ but it came out like a wail of a dying cat. A second later, she dropped her arms back to her sides and felt her entire face flush crimson at the embarrassment. It didn’t help that the twins had started howling in laughter at the scene.</p>
<p>
  <em>I want to kill them so badly. </em>
</p>
<p>Seeing as the elf gave no immediate reaction, like dropping her for example, she dared to sneak a peek at him. To the elf’s credit, he only let a brief look of shock enter his eyes before schooling it back to a neutral expression. If someone had done that to Sam, she was certain she would’ve fainted or screamed, or both.</p>
<p>The elf looked very similar to the twins, and she could see where the features had come from; he had the same jet-black hair and clear grey eyes that seemed to have the light of the stars in them, and a silver circlet sat snugly upon his head. His face looked ageless–not a single wrinkle nor greying hairs– yet somehow Sam could see years of sadness and joy in it. Without him having to say a single word, she could sense his strength and infinite wisdom: a true elf of quality and stoicism. She understood why the twins had spoken of him with such firmly ingrained faith.</p>
<p>Amidst the howls of the twins, Sam was suddenly very aware of the stark contrast between the twins and their father; while they were all elves, their father was simply... more. The concept was both awe-inducing and humbling to Sam, as the difference between her and the twins had already seemed immeasurable.</p>
<p>“An elfling,” breathed the elf. “How?”</p>
<p>Squirming in his arms, Sam tried to signal to him that she wanted to be put down. She was really sick of being carried like a baby for so long, and being that high up was uncomfortable too. The elf, who was apparently still in the throes of shock, bent down so Sam could hop to the floor gracelessly.</p>
<p>The twins had finally stopped laughing, instead electing to catch their breaths. Sam glared at them with as much wrath as she could muster, though she doubted it had the intended effect as their expressions remained mirthful. </p>
<p>“We found her near Loudwater, in the company of orcs,” Elladan explained.</p>
<p>“We were lucky to have happened upon her when we did,” Elrohir said, his previous playfulness evaporating. “I dread what may have transpired without our interference.”</p>
<p>The elf’s eyes darkened at those words, once again turning his attention to Sam. Feeling awkward under the intensity of his scrutiny, the girl made a move toward the twins.</p>
<p>“Greetings, little one,” he said with utmost gentleness, crouching down to meet her eyes. “I am Elrond, lord of this house. What might your name be?”</p>
<p><em>Elrond! Of course. That made so much sense! </em>Unfortunately, Sam couldn’t remember much about Elrond from the movies, as his part was minuscule compared to the rest of the fellowship members. <em>Elrohir had explicitly told me their sister was Arwen, I can’t believe I didn’t connect the dots!</em></p>
<p>“I’m Sam. Sorry for trying to scare you,” she said shyly, regaining her wits.</p>
<p>“Well met!” he said with a smile. “I see that my sons have already been a great influence on you.”</p>
<p>“Sorry,” she repeated.</p>
<p>“Now Sam, may I inquire of the circumstances that led a young elfling such as yourself to be in a position of peril?”</p>
<p>“Erm,” she stuttered despite herself. Elrond’s words had been kind and welcoming so far, but she found herself greatly intimidated by him; there was something that screamed power, and Sam, who had lived amongst regular human beings her entire life, couldn’t help but feel out of her depth.</p>
<p>So, she did the cowardly thing, which was to look at the twins and imploring them silently to speak in her place. Thankfully, they got the message and explained the circumstances of her being in Middle-earth. They explained how she was previously of humankind, and how she had come from another world. Elrond was silent for a while, making Sam antsy. Sam <em>always</em> got antsy.</p>
<p>“I must admit, your circumstance is one I have not previously encountered,” he said after a brief pause. “However, you have my word that I will do everything within my power to unravel this baffling phenomenon. In the meantime, Imladris shall house and sustain you, should you wish to remain.”</p>
<p>She nodded affirmatively. Some food and sleep sounded good right about now.</p>
<p>“Excellent,” he said, rising. “I shall discuss with Elladan and Elrohir further as to who your guardian will be for the duration of your residence here, however long that may be.”</p>
<p>“Guardian?” she asked. “Why would I need…”</p>
<p>“Of course you are in need of a guardian,” he said. “Imladris, while a safe haven, can be perilous to one not familiar with it. Having raised Elladan and Elrohir, I am too intimate with the havoc and mischief idle elflings can raise. I am afraid I cannot allow the same for you, entertaining as it might be.” Blind to Sam’s growing terror, the elf lord plowed on, “There are many willing to house you, including me. The innocent laughter of children has been absent for too long, with dear Estel growing up so rapidly...”</p>
<p><em>What can I say to get him off this idea of a guardian? There was no way I am going to tolerate a nanny dogging her every step.</em>  Feeling her plans crumble around her, Sam tried to think of arguments to save her independence, but found herself sadly lacking in the debate department.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If the situation was mirrored in America, CPS would definitely be called if one were to leave a child unsupervised; even if she were her fifteen-year-old self, she was still considered a minor in need of guardianship.</p>
<p>“Well, if you’ll excuse us,” Elrond began. “My sons and I shall retire to my study to discuss this topic further. In the meantime, why don’t you go get a change of clothes and—”</p>
<p>“I can’t have a new guardian, my parents would feel betrayed,” Sam blurted out in a panic, afraid he would leave without hearing her out first. As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could take them back.</p>
<p>“I’m sure your parents would be glad to see you well cared for,” he said, not fazed at being so rudely interrupted. “If it would make you more comfortable with the arrangement, perhaps we can discuss boundaries later. Now, as I was saying—”</p>
<p>Except Sam wasn’t really listening anymore. A sense of doom and gloom settled in her and she silently bid her freedom farewell. It wasn’t like she disliked the elves, quite the contrary really.  She intended to befriend them, but to have them be in control of her life didn’t sit right with her.</p>
<p>“—Would that be alright?”</p>
<p>Nodding, she vaguely noticed the twins saying goodbye to her. <em>Why were they leaving?</em> She couldn’t help but wonder if she would see them again; she really hoped so.</p>
<p>She allowed herself to be led away by Elrond down a winding hallway. They walked for a few minutes before another elf appeared before them and struck up a conversation. The elf had golden hair, so vibrant it appeared almost yellow. It was so different from the black she had been used to, and she felt almost drawn to it. He gave off the same powerful vibes as Elrond—powerful and wise. His face, much like Elrond’s, was fair and kind, but also full of joy and youth. Curious, Sam listened in, quickly forgetting her gloomy thoughts.</p>
<p>“Hail, Elrond!” said the elf. He too, had a beautiful voice. When he saw Sam, he looked stunned, just as the twins and Elrond had done. “I see you have an elfling with you! Who might this young lady be?”</p>
<p>“Hail, my friend,” Elrond said. “This is Sam. Elladan and Elrohir brought her moments ago.”</p>
<p>“Oh? I was not aware the twins had returned.”</p>
<p>“Neither was I, they come and go as they please,” he replied. “I must discuss things with them and would be most grateful if you could take Sam. I would take her with me, but she is in dire need of a meal and new clothes.”</p>
<p>“Aye, I would be delighted to,” the elf said, grinning at Sam.</p>
<p>Elrond turned to Sam. “This is Glorfindel, my most trusted advisor. I shall leave you in his hands for the time being, lest you object. He is rather fond of children, and I am certain you two will get along well.”</p>
<p>Sam felt her heart sink, feeling abandoned. They were going to have a discussion about her—without her. Unwilling to appear clingy however, she nodded glumly.</p>
<p>“I shall leave you to it then. Farewell,” he said, nodding at them before striding away. Sam watched him go sadly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You look terribly saddened,” Glorfindel commented. “I was not aware my presence was so unwelcomed by elflings. Perhaps Elladan and Elrohir were merely feigning joy when I spent time with them. What an upsetting revelation!” His expression, however, contradicted his words, as a wide smile adorned his face.</p>
<p>Not knowing how to respond she blurted out the only thing she could think of, “Elrohir called you a dotard.”</p>
<p>He laughed merrily at that, the sound pleasing to Sam.</p>
<p>“I am injured by his words,” he said in between chuckles. “Although I must say, he speaks the truth.”</p>
<p>“What does it mean?”</p>
<p>“It is merely an insult to mean that one is old.”</p>
<p>“Oh...how old are you?”</p>
<p>“Now, that is a hard question to answer,” he said thoughtfully. “Ask me another time, and I shall regale you the story in its entirety. For now, I believe you are in need of new garments, yes?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess,” she replied, looking down at her tattered attire.</p>
<p>“Arwen’s old clothing would fit well,” he said. “Unfortunately, we would have to search for it. Would you consider borrowing a tunic of mine for now? It would be too large, but you would only have to suffer until we find more suitable ones.”</p>
<p>“I’m fine with anything.”</p>
<p>“Perfect! Let us fetch it at once.”</p>
<p>The two walked side by side, the shorter one struggling to keep up with the longer strides of the taller elf. Noticing her exertion, he smiled and slowed down considerably, allowing the girl to catch her breath.</p>
<p>“I must ask, who might your parents be? Not many elves on Arda are willing to conceive in these trying times, and I would surely have heard news of an elfling arriving,” he said as he led Sam down a series of winding hallways.</p>
<p>Tired of answering this, she gave him a curt rundown of what had happened the past few days. His reaction was about expected, and similar to Elrond— stunned and mildly startled.</p>
<p>“Do not worry, if one were to figure out what happened to you, it would be Elrond,” he said reassuringly. “For now, enjoy the hospitality of Imladris and the company of its elves. It would please this old man greatly to hear the lively sounds of a child rebound around these lonely halls once more; if you would grace us with your company, we would be most joyous.”</p>
<p>Sam thought she ought to feel creeped out by his words, however, they sounded sincere coming from someone like Glorfindel. She reckoned he could say anything and still sound sincere and genuine, he was just <em>that</em> type of guy.</p>
<p>Despite the good intentions of his words, she felt something akin to pressure upon hearing them. What if the elves were disappointed that the only elfling to have come in thousands of years was in actuality a human at her core? Or if she was such a failure at doing elvish things they would exclude her.</p>
<p>“If you guys will have me, I’d be more than happy to stay. I’ll try to stay out of your way. I know I can be a bother sometimes, especially now that I’m a kid. I can take care of myself though, despite my looks. You don’t have to do anything for me,” she said.</p>
<p>She wasn’t sure why she had said all of that. She was well aware of how small and sad it made her sound, but she was afraid—afraid of rejection and abandonment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Glorfindel stopped dead in his tracks, and Sam stumbled in an effort to not walk into him.</p>
<p>“A bother? Why would you think that of yourself?” he asked gently. “I am sure all elves here are delighted to have you here, as am I.</p>
<p>“I just thought— since you guys aren’t my family you wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me. I can be a lot sometimes, and I wouldn’t want to subject anyone to that,” she said. There was something about Glorfindel that made her want to confess all her secrets and most private thoughts to him, his gentle demeanor and kind eyes drew the unwilling words from her lips and she couldn’t stop the words from flowing. “I just… I don’t want anyone to hate me...”</p>
<p>“Oh, sweet child,” he murmured. “No one could hate you.” Leaning down, the tall elf embraced Sam gently. The gesture was incredibly soothing, as if the elf himself was radiating calming waves from his body. While she didn’t usually welcome physical contact, she was willing to make this an exception and melted in his embrace.</p>
<p>When he released her, she felt pounds lighter and much more cheerful, as if all her worries and insecurities had disappeared.</p>
<p>“Don’t make the mistake of holding yourself back,” he said softly. “You wouldn’t be bothering anyone—in fact, I would be happy to be bothered by you.”</p>
<p>“I… that’s kinda weird,” she said letting out a small laugh.</p>
<p>Relieved that she was feeling better, he smiled as well.</p>
<p>“Although, I think you would be the one being bothered. Elladan and Elrohir are a force to be reckoned with. Why, if I remember correctly, when Arwen first came to the world they bothered her so much that their ada had to ban them from her room.” His smile grew larger. “I too would like to spend more time with you, as much as you would allow, that is.” He laughed his tinkling laugh at that, enjoying the look of wonder on the girl’s face.</p>
<p>“But...don’t you guys have more important stuff to do? More important than me at least.”</p>
<p>“Aye, we do have many important tasks. However, they are not more important than you. Having been alive for so long, I must say there are few things worth spending time on more than the miracle that is new life. Children are to be cherished and cared for; nothing is to come in the way of that. Do you believe me?”</p>
<p>She nodded.</p>
<p>Smiling, he took her hand and led her down the hallway once more. Somehow, the sunlight streaming through the arches seemed so much brighter than before.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few halls and bridges later, they had arrived at Glorfindel’s home. The room itself was simple yet elegant. Large windows adorned the beige walls, allowing copious amounts of sunlight to stream in. There was a large fireplace and an armchair in front of it, perfect for the winter. It looked cozy in comparison to the other parts of Rivendell, which had a rather ethereal feel to it.</p>
<p>“Welcome to my humble home,” he said, making a sweeping gesture with his arms. “I shall fetch the garments”</p>
<p>Releasing her hand, he went into another room returning with a bundle of clothes. He held some tunics against her body, trying to find the best fit. They were all grossly oversized, but she appreciated the effort nonetheless. He picked one out eventually and handed it over along with a strip of cloth. It was a simple white tunic, with some golden embroideries along the collar. The cloth, like Elrohir’s cloak, was very soft to the touch; she couldn’t help but run her hand across it, admiring the texture. It was so nice that she was afraid of ruining it by simply wearing it.</p>
<p>“There,” he said. “You may use that as a belt. I will retreat to my bedroom while you change. Call if you need assistance.”</p>
<p>Sam waited until he was out of the room before quickly stripping her dirty t-shirt. Deciding to keep her shorts, she pulled the large tunic over her head, letting it fall down to her knees. Clumsily, she took the strip and tied it across her waist with a sloppy knot she had learned how to tie in girl scouts years ago. The large tunic felt airy and large, but it was comfortable and she was happy with that. With her old shirt in hand, she walked over to the room Glorfindel had disappeared in and rapped her knuckles against the wood door.</p>
<p>“I’m finished.”</p>
<p>The door was opened within seconds.</p>
<p>“You look great,” he said, taking her dirty t-shirt and putting it in a bin with some other clothes in it. “You can hardly tell it’s meant for adult males.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, but you don’t have to lie.”</p>
<p>He laughed but didn’t deny it. “Now, would you care for food?” he asked. “You must have tired of traveling rations. How does a full meal sound?”</p>
<p>“Oh!” Her attention had been grabbed; trying out elven food sounded excellent at the moment. “I’d like that!”</p>
<p>“Splendid! I heard the chef was making something special today, let us make haste,” he said. “The dining hall awaits!”</p>
<p>The dining hall, like the rest of Imladris, was beautiful. It was on a patio, with a great view of a lush garden. There was only one long table, with tall and elegant chairs. Only two other elves were dining, as it was way past dinner time. Glorfindel greeted the elves while Sam quietly struggled to pull out a chair for herself; the chair being much heavier than she had anticipated. Giving up, she looked at Glorfindel pleadingly only to notice the two elves staring at her.</p>
<p> Feeling extremely awkward, she gave them an uncomfortable smile, silently wishing for them to stop. Glorfindel seemed to have noticed and politely told the elves to stop, which they did, thankfully. Walking back to her, he effortlessly pulled the chair out, and Sam happily climbed on.</p>
<p>Another elf came over with two platters full of food making Sam’s mouth water in anticipation. She quickly thanked the elf and dug in eagerly.</p>
<p>“The cooks here really are excellent, never before had I been unsatisfied with a single dish —and I dwelled here upwards of thousands of years!”</p>
<p>Sam merely gave a nod of acknowledgment as she was too busy eating. He was right, the food was simply exquisite; while it wasn’t anything like the gourmet food you would find in fancy restaurants, it suited her just fine.</p>
<p>“How do you find it, little one?”</p>
<p>Sam was quickly growing annoyed at the frequency of the phrase “little one” being used, but decided against commenting. In her haste to answer his question, she choked on the large bite of food she had just taken. Coughing hard, her eyes watered. Glorfindel quickly handed her a glass of water, which she took gratefully and chugged. It had an immediate effect, and she could breathe again. Letting out a sigh of relief, she messaged her throat gently.</p>
<p>“Are you alright?” he asked, voice wavering with concern. He looked really worried for something as minor as choking.</p>
<p>“I’m fine, I choke a lot cuz I eat so fast, but I’m used to it,” her throat felt scratchy and her voice came out somewhat strangled.</p>
<p>He frowned at her words. “Take it easy, child! If you continue to eat at that pace, I’ll be forced to split your food into portions.”</p>
<p>“Sorry for the scare. The food is amazing by the way, I’ve never had anything like it,” she said, changing the subject so Glorfindel wouldn’t make good on his threat to determine how much she ate at one time.</p>
<p>“I’ll be sure to give the chef your compliments, he will be most glad,” he said smiling, his frown lifting. His eyes still showed concern though, and he kept a watchful eye on her for the rest of the meal. They finished their meals without much fanfare. The other elves had finished a while ago and had meandered out, leaving them alone.</p>
<p>“So, Sam. Tell me a little about yourself. I’d like to get to know you better.”</p>
<p>“What would you like to know? I’d have to warn you though, I’m not the most interesting person compared to you guys, so prepared to be bored.”</p>
<p>“I’ll decide that afterward. Let’s start with … your family.  Any Siblings?”</p>
<p>“No, sadly, but I have a dog,” she said. “My dog is named Rex and he’s a golden retriever. I’ve had him since he was a puppy, we basically grew up together like siblings.”</p>
<p>“A hound as a companion? That’s most … unusual,” he mused. “What of your parents?”</p>
<p>“They are good parents, but always so busy. The Bay area isn’t a cheap place to live ya know, so they have to work constantly to provide for me. Mom has a job in finance, and my dad is a software engineer. Both are taxing jobs, so even if they have time off, they only want to rest and relax. During those times, I try not to bother them with my problems so I …” She trailed off, realizing she had gone off track and piled her issues on the poor elf. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ramble.”</p>
<p>“It’s quite alright,” he said softly. “Know that I’ll always lend an ear to you whenever you wish. I’d like to hear more if you have more to say.”</p>
<p>“I guess what I’m getting at is...I feel bad for not being more upset at being away from them. Does it make me a bad person? I love them and everything, but the thought of returning just to be alone hurts. They probably miss me and are worried, while I’m here chilling with you guys.”</p>
<p>“Peace my child,” he said. “Let’s take things one at a time, shall we? First of all, you are not a bad person for wanting company and affection. In fact—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He stopped mid-sentence, attention caught by something behind Sam. Turning back to see what had interested him, she found herself face to face with someone she actually recognized for the first time since coming to Middle-earth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, that ending was a bit abrupt wasn't it? The chapter was getting too long and I had to leave it for the next chapter. I bet you guys can guess who the mystery dude is though haha.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The man stood in front of her was most assuredly not an elf; his rather weathered countenance made him stick out like a sore thumb among the elves. Sam, who hadn’t encountered any other beings but elves and those vile orcs so far, was taken aback by running into a new race now. While far from as horrible as the orcs, nor as perfect as the elves, the man looked, quite simply, very human.</p>
<p>“Estel!” Glorfindel greeted cheerfully. “I was wondering where you were, for I wanted to introduce this young lady here to you.”</p>
<p>“No need, my brothers have already done so,” Estel said, smiling softly at Sam. “Good evening, Sam, my name is Estel. If my brothers had made mention of me, please disregard their words, for they are most likely to be blatant lies.”</p>
<p>It was freaking Aragorn, one of Sam’s favorite characters from Lord of the Rings! She could remember watching his scenes with an awestruck look on her face, cheering him on while munching on some popcorn or chocolate—which is why she was now staring at him with stars in her eyes. The familiar face and name were reassuring, despite the fact he was only a fictional character.</p>
<p>“...H-hi,” she said. “Nice to meet you.”</p>
<p>Glorfindel looked at her with faint amusement, mistaking her shyness for fear. “If his brutish face is unpleasant to you, inform me and I shall chase him away,” he said jokingly.</p>
<p>Estel shot him a faux offended look, “How unkind,” he said before turning to Sam. “You aren’t afraid of me, are you?”</p>
<p>“No!” she said frantically, glaring at Glorfindel. “I was just surprised. That’s all.”</p>
<p>Glorfindel let out a light laugh. “Estel has rather boorish manners, we have no idea where he got them from.”</p>
<p>Feeling offended on Estel’s behalf, she opened her mouth to defend him only to be cut off by Estel laughing.</p>
<p>“Did you forget who I learned from? Because if I recall correctly, it was you who guided me during my formative years.”</p>
<p><em>Were all elves like this? </em>Sam felt like she was going insane as all they did was poke fun at each other. It was a far cry from the adult small talk she had seen her parents engage in with family friends and neighbors, the kind of talk that made her tug her mom’s sleeves incessantly until she got the hint and said goodbye.</p>
<p>“What nonsense. I merely taught you this world’s lore, nothing else. Blame your brothers for your impudence.”</p>
<p>They shared a laugh before Estel said, “Enough of our banter. Ada wishes to speak to Sam.”</p>
<p>“Then let us go at once, no need to keep him waiting,” Glorfindel said as he got up.</p>
<p>“Do we really have to?” Sam asked, rising reluctantly. She had hoped to put off that inevitable conversation until tomorrow. </p>
<p>“Yes,” he said sternly. “It is best to deal with things before they fester.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Not necessarily agreeing with him, she followed the two. They took a different path than the one Glorfindel had led her on earlier, as he and Aragorn wanted to show her more of Rivendell. Their first detour was a large room with a lit hearth in the center, but no one was around to enjoy the heat of the flames.</p>
<p>“This is the hall of fire, where we sing and tell tales after nightfall. Perhaps when you are feeling more comfortable, we may return here and join in,” Glorfindel said.</p>
<p>“Sometimes even travelers from faraway places join us and tell us tales of their lands,” Estel added. “I am certain you would find them intriguing, for it is they who hold the most outlandish tales.”</p>
<p>Her two guides pointed out various other locations such as the garden, armory, and the kitchen. Rivendell was a lot smaller than she had expected; while it was filled to the brim with beautiful architecture and natural scenery, it seemed to lack life. Having walked through what she would estimate to be around half of Rivendell, they had barely passed by any elves. It was strangely eerie to Sam, who had much preferred spending time wandering around downtown California, simply enjoying the bustling vibe of it. Compared to it, Rivendell looked like one of those abandoned castles—lonely but gorgeous.</p>
<p>Despite all that, she still enjoyed walking through Rivendell with Estel and Glorfindel, who had begun adding tidbits of their personal anecdotes related to the area they were in. It gave life to the now deserted place, leaving her to wonder what had happened to lead it to its current state.</p>
<p>A large painting hung on the wall in a hallway caught her eye, and she paused momentarily in front of it. It was of a blonde man fighting a dragon-looking creature. The creature was huge and demonic-looking, while the man only had a sword. She couldn’t help but stop and stare, wondering if it was a depiction of a real event. They noticed her interest and also stopped.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, is that a Balrog?” Her knowledge of Middle-Earth was spotty at best, and the Balrog was the only thing she could think of that resembled the beast in the painting.</p>
<p>“Indeed, how did you know of them?”</p>
<p>“Um…I saw it in a book,” she said. It wasn’t a lie exactly. “Who is that fighting it?”</p>
<p>“Oh him?” Estel said. “That is Glorfindel, back in his glory days. He single-handedly took on the balrog, earning him the title Balrog slayer. He—”</p>
<p>“What!?” Sam exclaimed, turning to Glorfindel with wide eyes. “You… You fought that thing?”</p>
<p>“Aye,” he said. “It was many years ago. I was lucky to have been able to slay it. The damage it could’ve done is unimaginable.”</p>
<p>“Dang,” she whispered in awe. “That is the coolest!”</p>
<p>“Coolest…?” he asked with a confused frown.</p>
<p>“Never mind,” she said. “You’d have to show me the moves you used on it! It’s so big and you’re well, not small, but like not nearly that big! How even?”</p>
<p>“I cannot,” he said gravely. “I don’t know if I can ever replicate what I did that day, nor do I wish to. However, there are other things I could show you if you wish it.”</p>
<p>“Ah, yeah okay,” she said, wondering if there was more to the story than he had let on. But Glorfindel had a pensive look on his face as if lost in his memories, so she decided to drop it for now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The three continued, with Sam keeping a keen eye on the tapestries adorning the halls, hoping to see something interesting. It was mind-blowing to her that she could talk to people directly involved in ancient history, fictional or not, and the element of magic and fantasy was icing on the cake. It was almost like asking Lincoln about the civil war or chatting with Joan of Arc about the crusade. She would have to pester Glorfindel into telling her more about his experiences, or even Elrond if she could ever get over the intimidating vibe she got from him.</p>
<p>Before she knew it, they had arrived at Elrond’s study.  Estel knocked on the door softly, announcing their presence. A quiet ‘enter’ prompted him to open it, and they streamed in one by one. Elrond was sitting at a huge mahogany looking desk, surrounded by bookshelves and various decorative pieces. The elf smiled at the trio in greeting, a creased brow marring his serene face. Elladan and Elrohir weren’t anywhere to be seen, much to Sam’s simultaneous dismay and relief; they were familiar to her but were exhausting to be around at times.</p>
<p>“Take a seat, please, we have much to discuss,” he said gesturing to a chair in front of his desk. “Estel, please leave us. I believe you and your brothers have some catching up to do.”</p>
<p>“I shall seek them out then. Nice meeting you, Sam,” Estel said waving his goodbye.</p>
<p>Sam waved back, mildly dejected. She had hoped to chat with him a little more, for he was the only human around and she still wasn’t entirely too comfortable with elves, though she was technically one herself she supposed.</p>
<p>Climbing onto the chair, she once again felt meek in his strong presence. Glorfindel had wandered over to a secluded armchair in the corner of the room, busying himself with a thick tome. She wondered if he had already read every single book in Rivendell; she for sure would have if she was thousands of years old and without an internet connection.</p>
<p>When Elrond didn’t speak immediately, she shifted uncomfortably, wanting the silence to go away. She had no clue if he was waiting for her to speak up first, or was just testing her with some sort of power play.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>“I see that you had a change of clothes,” he said, finally. “Glorfindel was kind to you, yes?</p>
<p>“Yeah, he was great,” she said, not expecting him to ask something so mundane. “We ate and stuff.”</p>
<p>“Good. If you don’t mind, there are some things I would like to discuss before we decide on your placement here. Elladan and Elrohir informed me of all they know, but there are significant gaps in their knowledge. It may be late, but I would like to hear your story before retiring for the night.”</p>
<p><em>There it was!</em> “Of course. I slept earlier, so I won’t be able to sleep now anyway.”</p>
<p>“My thanks,” he said with a small smile, folding his hands neatly on the desk. “Let us start from how you came to this world. I am under the impression you aren’t of Arda?”</p>
<p>“I… Oh. Um. No, I’m not from Arda. I was out shopping kinda late, and when I got home, a portal was in my living room and I got sucked in. When I woke up, I was alone in a forest. You know the rest,” Her story sounded hollow and unbelievable even to herself, and she worried that Elrond would think her insane.</p>
<p>“Is there anything specific you can recall about the ... gateway? Any anomalies or signs before its appearance?”</p>
<p>“No… nothing specific. I just remember being paralyzed when the portal came,” she said, shuddering at the memory. “Hm… I think it was weirdly quiet on my way home, but I can’t be sure.”</p>
<p>Elrond looked deep in thought for a few moments, his brow creasing even further.</p>
<p>“Do you … does any of this sound familiar at all?” she asked desperately. “Has anything like this happened before? Are there others like me?”</p>
<p>“I cannot say there have been,” he said finally. “Do not despair yet, for you haven’t told me all the facts of the matter yet. Please, do continue.”</p>
<p>“Well, I don’t know if this will help, but when I came here I regressed in age. I was fifteen years old and about four foot five before, not … whatever this is.”</p>
<p>He leaned forward slightly in his seat, “I suppose that is related to your transformation to an elf?”</p>
<p>“Yes, that’s my theory at least. I can’t think of anything else that makes sense.”</p>
<p>“Indeed. Your theory has its merits,” a sharp glint entered his eyes. “You are aware of the existence of elves?”</p>
<p>“Yes…?”</p>
<p>“And yet you aren’t from Arda. Tell me, does your land of origin contain elves.?”</p>
<p>She was afraid he was going to ask that and wasn’t sure if she could explain the work of Tolkien to him; she doesn’t want to be thrown in the looney bin for saying something so outlandish.</p>
<p>“No… not exactly,” she said.</p>
<p>“How is it that you are so knowledgeable about our race? Most men in Arda avoid us or are downright afraid of us. But you, whose world doesn’t even have elves, are comfortable in our company?”</p>
<p>“You might think I’m insane for this.” <em>If he didn’t already think that.</em></p>
<p>“I assure you, I will take your word very seriously.”</p>
<p>She hesitated. But then Elrond was probably one of the most trustworthy characters in the movies and books. There was no reason to suppose the elf surveying her from the other side of the desk wasn’t just as trustworthy. Besides, she didn’t want this to hang over her head for however long she was going to be here.</p>
<p>“Well, there’s this guy in my world called Tolkien. He wrote books about Middle-Earth, about elves, men, hobbits, and dwarves. It was all fictional though, and people liked it because it was some kind of fantasy for them. Though you don’t strike me as fictional. None of this world does.” She trailed off slightly, not sure if she should mention the ring. “Also, if I’m right, then we’re at a point in Tolkien’s story when some really important things haven’t happened yet, and I’m not sure if I should tell you about it.” Her summary sounded feeble and implausible, making her wonder if Elrond would even believe her. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Glorfindel had put his book aside and began listening intently to her as well.</p>
<p>“No, I would thank you to not speak of things that haven’t yet passed,” he said sternly. “You say you know of me from the books?”</p>
<p>Sam sagged slightly in relief—she didn’t want to have to deal with the butterfly effect if she spoiled the events of the Lord of the Rings to him. “Yeah, you’re in some of them, so is Aragorn.”</p>
<p>Elrond looked at her with barely concealed shock. “You know of Estel’s true name?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she said. She knew name-dropping him would prove that she wasn’t lying. She just hoped he wouldn’t be mad at Aragorn’s identity being known by an unknown elfling.</p>
<p>“And of his true identity?” he asked, letting out a small gasp at her nod. “And you said these works were fictional?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she repeated. “Aragorn is the descendant of Isildur if I remember right. I—and everyone else—thought it was entirely fictional, and that it was extremely outlandish. That’s why when I first got here I thought it was only a fever dream. Hell, I’m not ruling that out as a possibility just yet, it just feels so insane to be here,” a note of desperation entered her voice, and she coughed quietly to hide it. She knew she was playing with fire here, and Elrond would have every right to be suspicious of her and her knowledge. But, she had no other choice, she had to prove she wasn’t making up the existence of her own world, and that, somehow, this world was now no longer made up, but real.</p>
<p>“While I understand it may be hard to fully accept the situation, to delude yourself into thinking this is merely a dream would be foolish and dangerous,” he warned.</p>
<p>“I’ll try my best.”</p>
<p>“You hold more surprises than I had originally thought,” he said, his eyebrows knitting together. “I would have to give this matter some more thought. It is a delicate matter, as you no doubt understand. It would be best to remain silent on this topic, as I would like to keep you uninvolved in this—one must exercise caution when dealing with such information.” He paused for a second, straightening in his seat. “We shall discuss this further at another time.”</p>
<p>“Alright,” she said, relieved. He seemed to have taken her story as the truth for now, maybe being a kid had its benefits if it made him less suspicious of her. Spies from the enemy were less likely to take the form of an elfling afterall.</p>
<p>“Now for the other matter, if you please.”</p>
<p>“Guardianship?” she guessed wearily.</p>
<p>“Yes,” he said, smiling wryly. “Don’t look so glum, do you detest the idea of spending time with us that much? So much so that the very idea of one of us taking care of you makes you sick?”</p>
<p>“No,” she said sulkily. “It’s just… I’m fifteen and it would honestly be uncomfortable to have people try and parent me.”</p>
<p>“If you are truly as mature as you believe yourself to be, there would be no need for any parenting would there?” he said chuckling. “You needn’t worry about being told off as long as you aren’t doing anything out of place.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What he said made sense, but she wasn’t entirely sold yet. She had been repeatedly told she was the first elfling to come in years, which meant they would no doubt cuddle and baby her until she went mad. Elladan and Elrohir were already irritating enough as was, and if they were the ones in charge of her she loathed to think what they would come up with.</p>
<p>“Who exactly would be in charge of me? Elladan and Elrohir?”</p>
<p>“Oh, heavens no,” he said smiling. “My sons are hardly capable of taking care of themselves—I wouldn’t trust them enough to take care of an elfling. To be frank, I am surprised you survived for so long with them in the wild. My sincerest sympathies. They had been hunting orcs for so long I am afraid they have forgotten how to treat people, let alone children.”</p>
<p>“Who, then?”</p>
<p>“Might I suggest Glorfindel? He took excellent care of you today, though the state of your clothes could be better.”</p>
<p>“Would he really do that? For a complete stranger?”</p>
<p>“Aye,” Glorfindel said, sidling up to them and plonking down on a chair next to Sam. When Sam looked over, she found him smiling gently at her. “Though I would not call you a stranger.”</p>
<p>“Well,” Sam said slowly, thinking it over. “I don’t really have a problem with you, but I want to avoid being restricted by someone.”</p>
<p>“If that was what you were concerned about, you have my word I won’t get in your way. If you don’t give me a reason to, that is.”</p>
<p>“So you’re saying I’ll have complete freedom?”</p>
<p>“Indeed. Do we have an agreement?”</p>
<p>“Is there some sort of catch? It seems kinda pointless to me if you're just going to let me do whatever.”</p>
<p>“Catch? Nay. Elrond and I merely wish to ensure your wellbeing during your stay here. Unless you truly believe you wouldn’t require any assistance during your stay here, both mentally and physically?</p>
<p>“Well, if you phrase it like that, then yes. But seriously, aren’t you guys super busy and stuff?</p>
<p>“I do have numerous duties, as does Elrond. However, I cannot stand by as an innocent child suffers. I cannot say I can replace your parents, but I can show you that there is a home for you here in Rivendell, that there are people who care for you here,” he paused for a second before smiling. “Or perhaps, I miss having young ones around. Who can say?”</p>
<p>Sam, being the suspicious girl she is, couldn’t tell if he had good intentions or had just wanted to make sure she didn’t have any ill intent. She was never any good at reading people and their actions, so she would have to take his word for it.</p>
<p>“Alright then, I guess I’m fine with it,” she said.</p>
<p>“I’m glad,” he said sincerely. “Welcome to Rivendell, Sam.”</p>
<p>“Now that everything is resolved, may I have a quick word Glorfindel?” Elrond asked.</p>
<p>Sam was sure nothing they wanted to talk about would interest her, she wandered over to the armchair Glorfindel had cozied up to earlier and picked up the large book he had been reading. It was so heavy that she almost fell backward, and she hastily dropped it back on the chair and used it as a table. Flipping open the book curiously, she swiftly realized that while she could speak Elvish, she most certainly couldn’t read it. The script was fancy looking with a lot of curves and random dots; it looked difficult to write, learning it would probably be a pain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Are you interested in learning medicine?” The voice startled Sam and she quickly slammed the book shut as if she was caught doing something wrong. “If you are, I wouldn’t recommend starting with that book.”</p>
<p>“Glorfindel! You scared me!” They had finished up remarkably fast, impressing her greatly.</p>
<p>He merely grinned at her, and said, “Might I suggest another book? To see someone as young as you take an interest in the field is quite refreshing.”</p>
<p>“No thanks, I won’t be able to read it anyway,” she said quickly, not the least bit interested in medieval medicine.</p>
<p>“Oh, I do apologize. I was not aware that mature fifteen-year-olds were unable to read,” he said teasingly.</p>
<p>“I can read English and a bit of Spanish, alright?”</p>
<p>“I suppose that’s the language of your world?” he asked. “I can teach you how to read Tengwar if you’d like. Most books here are written in that.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, maybe when I’m bored,” she said, still mildly miffed from his earlier comment.</p>
<p>“It would be my pleasure,” he said. She couldn’t tell if his tone was sarcastic there or not, so she merely nodded suspiciously.</p>
<p>“It is time for a certain young lady to go to bed. You must be exhausted from being on your feet for so long. I shall take you to your chambers.”</p>
<p>Her room was adjoined to Elrond’s room, but there was a door with a lock between the two rooms so there was privacy. Apparently, it had been Arwen’s childhood bedroom, and she felt awkward about taking her spot. Arwen herself was visiting Lothlorien, and  couldn’t tell her off for being given her room, but Sam still felt kind of guilty about it</p>
<p>Saying goodbye to Glorfindel after assuring him that she was going to bed directly, she did a quick scan of her new room. While it was small, it had everything she needed; there was an armchair, a small shelf filled with books, and a twin-sized bed. What was more, her precious backpack was on the bed! Elladan and Elrohir must’ve brought it for her, and she made a note to thank them later. Plonking down on the soft bed, she cuddled up to it. As she inhaled the fading scents of the world she was from, and had those mingle with the ones from the fictional world she now found herself in, she was finally able to let the bizarreness of it all be, and give in to her overwhelming exhaustion.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yay new chapter! I tried making the elves nicer in this one, but for some reason they keep turning out kind of mean lol. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this one.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Sam woke up the next day, she was reluctant to leave her comfortable bed. Groggily groping around for her phone as per routine, she was ready to scroll through Reddit until either her dog or mom forced her out.</p><p>When her hands met with nothing, she remembered that she wasn’t in her room, but in fact, still in Rivendell. Without her phone to occupy her, she quickly got bored just lying there, so she flung the covers off her and got up.</p><p>Looking out the window, she estimated that it was already noon, which came as a shock to her—it didn’t feel like she had slept that long. Quickly, she got a change of clothes that fortunately fit her much better and put on a pair of sandals she found around the room.</p><p>Once she deemed herself presentable, she strode out her room, only to find herself facing an empty hallway. She had woken up so late that everyone had probably started their day, leaving her to her own devices. A wave of anxiety struck her, and she worried that her demand to not be babysat would work against her.</p><p>She considered remaining in her room until someone came to fetch her, but the anxiety of being alone won out in the end, and she decided that it would be best if she took the initiative and looked for someone.</p><p>Choosing a direction at random, she kept a careful eye on her surroundings for people or places she knew. Along the way, she did pass several unfamiliar elves and she debated asking them about the whereabouts of Elrond or the twins. Her shyness held her back though, and she only gave them an awkward smile. They looked at Sam with concern, and in response to that, she walked away as quickly and gracefully as she could to avoid being interrogated on why she was alone. Damn her social anxiety! She had to idea how people were able to talk to strangers so easily.</p><p>To her relief the elves didn’t attempt to stop her, allowing her to continue ambling down the endless corridors. This wasn’t necessarily comforting seeing she hadn’t yet spotted. What she felt at the moment was similar to how she felt when she had separated from her parents at the local Costco and went into a frenzy to locate them.</p><p>Frustrated tears threatened to fall. She sat down on a nearby bench to calm herself when the incoming tears refused to recede at her command.</p><p>The sudden state of panic was uncharacteristic of her— it usually took her longer to fly off the handle like this. Maybe her transformation into a child wasn’t restricted to her appearance only, and her mind had been affected as well? She hoped not.</p><p>Sam firmly told herself that despite her toddler body, she wasn’t, in fact, a child lost in a store anymore. She stood up and resolved to go off on her own instead of trying to find others. Really, it was a blessing in disguise for her to explore a bit by herself — after all, hadn’t she whined to Elrond incessantly about wanting freedom?</p><p>So she set off once more, this time with the mindset of sightseeing instead of searching. Now that she was tiny, the world was much larger in her perspective. The metallic suits of armor decorating the halls appeared gargantuan to her, and she couldn’t help but stop at each one to admire how realistic they were. It was fascinating how different the world was when you're so close to the ground, everything felt more grandiose.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, she came across the entrance to a large domed room. Curiosity piqued, she made her way in, finding the interior to be dark and cavernous; the lack of light gave it an unsettling and gloomy vibe. A few pillars upheld an arched ceiling, with various paintings and tapestries filling the blank spaces on the walls. Sam was increasingly accustomed to decorations such as these, as it was the only interior design choice in Rivendell apparently; that and literally marble for everything.</p><p>In the center of the room stood a large statue proudly holding a plate as if it were a display exhibit. Wandering closer, she found that her small stature proved to be her downfall since from her angle she couldn’t see what was on the plate. Whatever it was, it must be awfully important for it to have its dedicated room and stand; that was enough for her to be determined to see what it held.</p><p>Her first attempt was to back up a few steps to make her line of sight wider. It failed, as she was so short that even at ten steps back, the only thing she could see was the bottom of the stone plate. Growling in mild annoyance, she looked around for an object that could potentially boost her height. There was absolutely nothing. Not even a single chair.</p><p>Which left her with her last resort: to scale the statue directly. Usually, she would never dare do something so bold, but her self-control had been dwindling quite quickly these days and she often gave in to her impulses. She knew she shouldn’t be defiling the important looking statue in the dignified house of Elrond, but she was too invested in the mystery to back out now.</p><p>She approached the statue slowly and wearily as if afraid it would come to life and chide her for doing something so undignified. If you turn back now, no harm would be done, she told herself. Her curiosity won over her social grace, and she jumped, grasping a slightly protruding part of the statue with an outstretched arm. The smoothness of it made it difficult to attain a firm grip, and she clenched her fist harder to avoid falling. It was more difficult to scale than it looked, and she had to shimmy up it like a pole while praying for her non-existent upper arm strength to not die on her. Just as she was about to reach a height where she was in reach of the plate, a voice called out to her.</p><p>“If I may ask, what exactly are you hoping to accomplish?”</p><p>The voice caught her extremely off guard, and with a startled screech she lost her flimsy grip and fell. Panic engulfed her, but before she could so much as flail, she hit the hard floor with a small thunk. It was more shocking than it was painful, given the height of the fall, and she lay there stunned for a few seconds, heart racing at a million beats per second.</p><p>She heard rapid footsteps heading her way, stopping right in front of her. Looking up, her eyes met with an elf. Immediately, her face flushed red with embarrassment—he had seen her desecrate the statue.</p><p>“Are you all right?” The elf was kneeling by her side in an instant, sounding concerned.</p><p>“I’m okay,” she whispered, more to reassure herself than anything. Using an arm to prop herself up she faced the elf, trying to appear casual as if she hadn’t just done something extremely dumb.</p><p>“My apologies for startling you,” he said guiltily. “Are you wounded?”</p><p>“I don’t think so. My pride is though, that was embarrassing...” All she could think of at the moment was all the wasted effort—she would never get to see what was on it.</p><p>“I think it would be best if I had a look. May I?” the elf asked politely.</p><p>She shrugged. Reaching out, he fussed over her head a bit before retracting his arm, satisfied with whatever he saw. Somehow, his touch had alleviated some of the mild throbbing she had been feeling. <em>Healing powers? Or am I imagining things?</em></p><p>“You are lucky not to have sustained a head injury,” he said with a frown. “Would you care to inform me of the reason you had for scaling this statue?”</p><p>“I was just trying to see what’s on the plate,” she said, feeling a mix of shame and defensiveness. “It’s just there, begging for me to look at it.”</p><p>“If you were merely curious, all you needed to do was ask. I am certain everyone here is more than willing to assist you. What you did was reckless!”</p><p>“Sorry,” she mumbled, adding after a short moment, “Can you show me then?”</p><p>“Aye, if you promise to never do something like that again.” He crossed his arms and gave her a stern look.</p><p>“Yes, I promise.”</p><p>“All right, up we go.” Grabbing her by her armpits, he lifted her and gave her a view of the item she was so desperate to see. Her excitement was quickly snuffed out when she finally saw it—it was merely the remnants of a broken sword sitting on a piece of cloth. <em>What the heck, I thought it’d be something cool like a magic artifact or something. </em></p><p>“Ah, a broken sword…”</p><p>“Not just any broken sword!” he said, gently releasing her from his hold. “What you just saw is the shards of Narsil—pieces of the sword once wielded by Elendil, descendent of Eärendil. It played a large role in the defeat of Sauron many moons ago, where Isildur grasped the hilt of this very blade and took Sauron’s finger. Without it, I am afraid of the state Arda would be in.”</p><p>“Woah! So that’s what it is.” Now that he mentioned it, she could vaguely remember Boromir trying to hold it in the movies. “Why don’t you fix it if it's that great?” This part had always seemed like a plot hole to her, Aragorn definitely could’ve used it earlier.</p><p>“The shards hold a significance in many ways. It isn’t necessary for an object to be functional to hold a purpose. Broken, it serves as a symbol of hope; of how in our darkest times we were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. While reforging it would certainly benefit us, we must remember its history. It wouldn’t do to rebuild an ancient monument, would it?” he said. “However, that’s not to say it would remain in this state of dysfunction for eternity. When the time comes and —”</p><p>The sound of someone approaching interrupted him, and they both looked over to see Elrond heading their way.</p><p>“Sam! There you are,” Elrond said, sounding exasperated. “I was wondering where you were off to. I was waiting for you to wake up. Imagine my surprise when I found your room to be empty.” He paused in front of them. “Erestor! I hope Sam wasn’t causing any trouble for you.”</p><p>“Greetings, Elrond,” Sam’s companion said. “No, she was not. I was simply explaining to her the significance of the shards of Narsil.” He looked at her with a smile, and she was grateful he didn’t tell Elrond about her stunt earlier. “My apologies, it seems I’ve forgotten to introduce myself. My name is Erestor, and you must be Sam, ward of Glorfindel. To think our first meeting would go like this.” </p><p>The name didn’t ring any bells, but judging by the way he talked to Elrond she assumed him to be important as well.</p><p> </p><p>“Nice to meet you.”</p><p>“It’s only your first day and you have managed to worry me. You are still unfamiliar with Imladris, so what possessed you to wander off by yourself?” Elrond asked.</p><p>“I didn’t know what to do when I woke up and there was no one around. So I went and looked for people, that's all. You said I could go anywhere yesterday, remember?” Her tone was mildly defensive, but a lot tamer than what she would usually employ against her parents.</p><p>“That may be so, but I’d prefer it if you had told someone of your whereabouts.”</p><p>“Sorry, I didn’t know.”</p><p>“Peace, Elrond. There was no harm done, so let us move on,” Erestor said. Elrond would certainly disagree if he knew about the fall. “I believe we have some pressing matters we must discuss.”</p><p>“Aye,” Elrond said before turning to Sam. “Would you care to join us in my study? It may sound dull, but I am certain you can find something to entertain yourself with.”</p><p>It sounded unappealing to her, but she nodded anyway because he clearly didn’t trust her to be on her own. There was no way she would be able to entertain herself in his study—all he had were books she couldn’t read, and even if she could read them she doubted if she would be interested in them.</p><p>“The weather is quite pleasant this day, is it not?” Erestor asked as they began walking.</p><p>It felt completely normal to the girl, nothing noteworthy at least.</p><p>“Indeed. I hope you are well on this fine day.”</p><p>“I am, thank you. I—”</p><p>The two elves continued the boring small talk Sam was so accustomed to. If their conversations were anything to go by, her afternoon was shaping up to be boring. What was the point of coming to a fantasy world if she was just going to listen to boring old men talk? She could’ve just tuned in to a news channel for that.</p><p>Her saviors came in the form of Estel and the twins, who were just rounding the corner ahead of them. She charged over, eyes lighting up, and skidded to a halt in front of them.</p><p>“Elladan! Elrohir! Estel!” she cheered. “I wanted to see you guys again yesterday, but I couldn’t find you!” What she wanted to do was beg for them to take her with them now, but she didn’t want to offend Elrond.</p><p>“I see that you’ve missed us greatly. You must have been so lonely without our fantastic company,” Elladan said.</p><p>“We had some affairs to take care of,” Elrohir said, ruffling her hair. “If you like, we could do something now.”</p><p>“Yes!” she said quickly. “I mean, if that’s okay,” she added with a quick backward glance at Elrond.</p><p>“Of course,” he said. “I trust that you won’t lead her astray?” He looked directly at the twins who merely smiled.</p><p>“What have we done for you to distrust us?” When Elrond opened his mouth to answer, Elladan grabbed onto her arm to quickly lead her away. “Come, we have much to do.”</p><p>“Bye Elrond, bye Erestor!” Sam waved the two elves a hasty and happy goodbye.</p><p>“Farewell Sam! Stay out of trouble!” Erestor called as they left.</p><p>“Oh man, thanks,” she said fervently as soon as they were out of earshot. “I don’t think I can stand listening to their conversation for much longer.”</p><p>“Here I am thinking you just wished to spend time with us,” Elrohir said, putting a hand on his chest. “How hurtful.”</p><p>She rolled her eyes, used to his shenanigans. “So, what are we doing?”</p><p>“I was thinking we could head to the kitchens. We still owe you a dessert,” Elladan said.</p><p>“Sounds good. I haven’t had anything today yet.”</p><p>“All the better,” Estel said. “They say food tastes better in the pangs of hunger.”</p><p>“Yeah, the only time school lunch is tolerable is when I’m dying of starvation.”</p><p>“So what’s this I hear about Glorfindel taking you in?” Elladan asked, cutting in.</p><p>“Oh yeah, I guess. But like not really? I dunno,” she said. Her confused answer was a testimony to how strange the situation still was. Until she had gotten to the bottom of her world swapping, it simply felt like cutting ties with her parents and Rex if she fully acknowledged her new adoptive relations here in Rivendell.</p><p>“Welcome to the family! You’ve already been acquainted with Estel, correct?” Elrohir said, disregarding her rambling and gesturing towards Estel.</p><p>“Yep, met him yesterday.”</p><p>“That only leaves Arwen then. She currently resides in Lothlorien, but knowing her, she would adore you.”</p><p>“What’s she like?”</p><p>“She is very kind and a joy to be around. She may not look the type, but she enjoys our practical jokes,” Elrohir said.</p><p>“Right…”</p><p>“She is wise and elegant. Unlike her foolish brothers,” Estel said.</p><p>“That would include you, would it not?” Elladan shot back playfully.</p><p>“I can’t wait for her to come back then, I wouldn’t have to hang out with you guys if she was here,” Sam said, sticking her tongue out.</p><p>“Hey, what have I done to aggrieve you?” Estel asked, smiling.</p><p>“Okay, just the twins then.”</p><p>“It seems as if Sam is fonder of Estel than us, Elrohir. And yet she knows us slightly longer. How devastating.”</p><p>“Oh, come off it,” she said.</p><p> </p><p>They finally stopped at a set of plain-looking doors; she wouldn’t have even noticed them if the others hadn’t halted first. Now that she stood in front of them, their unassuming appearance was made up for by a divine smell that seemed to waft through them.</p><p>“Here we are, at the most sacred place in Imladris. Remember its location, for you will be making constant trips here in the future after poaching a taste.” Elrohir opened the door with a dramatic flourish. “After you, my lady.”</p><p>The kitchen itself smelled even better from the inside, which Sam didn’t think was possible, and she could barely contain her excitement. The cookware, however, were less magical than she expected — brick ovens and old-fashioned pots and pans— nothing too special.</p><p>Two elves were inside, both engrossed in their cooking.</p><p>“What may I do for you on this fine day,” one of the elves asked, noticing their entrance.</p><p>“If it isn’t too much of a bother, could you perhaps grab something sweet for this elfling here. She has missed breakfast due to oversleeping, I’m afraid,” Elrohir explained.</p><p>“It would be my pleasure,” the elf said, beaming at Sam. “You may sit over there while we prepare something.” He gestured at a couple of seats by the corner.</p><p>Sitting down, Sam suddenly felt a jolt of annoyance at what Elrohir had said.</p><p>“Hey wait. Now that I think about it, why did I make a deal with you again? I feel like I could’ve just walked in here and they would’ve given me snacks. You guys aren’t the ones making it for me,” she said, eyes narrowing. “Besides, how’d you know I overslept anyway.”</p><p>“Ah, but you wouldn’t know where to find the kitchens without us. Information has value,” he replied, smiling smugly. “As for how we knew you had overslept...We went looking for you in the morning, but ada refused us entry saying you were still slumbering.”</p><p>“I guess that makes sense… Don’t expect it to work another time though.”</p><p>“Yes, of course,” Elladan said amicably, and Sam shot him a suspicious look.</p><p>The elf came by with a heap of various snacks and food, effectively putting an end to their schemes. Thanking him profusely, she enthusiastically inhaled it at dangerous speeds, slapping away the twins’ thieving hands. For Estel, she made an exception; she gave him a single fruit tart.</p><p>“Dang that was awesome, I’m so full,” she said as they exited the kitchen half an hour later.</p><p>“I’m glad one of us is,” Elladan said dryly.</p><p>She passed the rest of the afternoon with them, playing random games like tag and hide and seek when the skies darkened. It was then that the twins decided they had had enough fun for the day and escorted her back to her room.</p><p>“Thanks, guys. I had a lot of fun,” she told them sincerely.</p><p>“Of course,” Elladan said, voice soft. “Anything for you.”</p><p>She just nodded.</p><p>“See you tomorrow. If you can manage to wake up, that is.”</p><p>She was reluctant to leave them, as their company was a reprieve from her thoughts. But it was just that — a reprieve— her problems were still there, she just hadn’t had a moment to linger on them. In the silence of her room, with nothing to occupy herself with, she knew she would be forced to think about them.</p><p> </p><p>Sam was laying in her bed, listening to the background sounds of Rivendell, when she got bored and decided to go explore some more. It turns out that Elrond, like Glorfindel, has his living room-like area. Elrond himself was sitting on the armchair next to the lit fireplace with a book, which he lowered upon seeing Sam enter. She was glad to see him, for it meant she wouldn’t be completely alone for a while.</p><p>“Hello Sam,” he said smiling. It was a warm smile, one that made her feel cozy and warm. “I trust you had a pleasant evening?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she said, shuffling over. “I got to see the kitchen today.”</p><p>“Wonderful. I hope Elladan and Elrohir didn’t harass the cooks too much.”</p><p>“Nah, only a little bit.” She grinned.</p><p>Elrond, apparently, was able to look beyond your smile. “What troubles you?”</p><p>“Not sure honestly, lots of things I guess. I haven’t had much time to think about it.”</p><p>“It would be wise to speak about it. I shan’t force you, but by articulating your worries you may find it easier to sort out your thoughts.”</p><p>Her smile slid off her face; she didn’t want to talk about it, for she feared she would burst into tears in front of him. When she was playing with the twins, she allowed their contagious joyousness to wash over her, forgetting all about her worries and concerns. With Elrond, it was different. He radiated calming energy, drawing her to him easily.</p><p>“I just … worry that I won’t see my family and friends again.” She could feel her eyes watering, but didn’t stop. “I have no idea how I got here. What if I can never go back?”</p><p>She let out a small sob. Much like what had happened during her earlier escapade, the emotions came in fast and hard; one second she was cheerful, then as soon as Elrond asked if she was all right her underlying worries surfaced and made her feel upset.</p><p>He lifted her up, placing her on his lap. She was too tired to protest, so just let it be.</p><p>“It will be alright. Not all is lost. We will study the matter together, and we will find answers to the mystery you represent.” He placed his book back on the coffee table.</p><p>She shivered from a non-existent chill. Sensing her unease, Elrond began carding a hand through her hair soothingly. “Back home, I always hoped for a chance to have a more interesting life, kinda like what you guys have— to be able to fight things and do cool things. But now that I’m here, I dunno if I can do any of it, like at all.”</p><p>“Do you believe that I, at your age, would be able to do half the things I can do now? I have been alive for thousands of years, and through practice, I achieved the things I have. In a few hundred years or so I’m certain you will gain a few skills if you practiced diligently.</p><p>“A few hundred years?” She blanched, unable to wrap her head around the idea of doing something, anything, for that long.</p><p>“Indeed. To elves, that amount of time is naught but a blink of an eye, but you would be able to master a craft in it. Glorfindel informed me of your interest in medicine. That is my field of expertise and I would be glad to share it with you.”</p><p>“Uh…” She fidgeted uncomfortably. “Can I think about it?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>“Sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” she said. Wiping her tears away with her sleeves, she sniffled, feeling very pathetic. “I swear I’m not usually this emotional.”</p><p>“Don’t ever apologize for that. To be quite honest, I am surprised you hadn’t broken down earlier. Elladan and Elrohir informed me of the way you handled the wilderness, and I am impressed by your courage.” He patted her head gently. “You are but a child. I don’t expect you to have the maturity of an adult.”</p><p>The pair eventually grew silent, as Sam had tired herself out with her tears. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable to her, and they remained like that until Sam yawned.</p><p>“Perhaps a bit of sleep may make you feel better.” Lifting her easily, he walked to her room and placed her on her bed, tucking her in. Pulling the armchair from the corner over, he sat next to her bed.</p><p>“Sam, one more thing before I leave you,” he said. “I have informed the elves in Mirkwood and Lothlorien about you. I thought they might have additional information about your sudden appearance, alas they do not. I hope you do not mind.”</p><p>“Mirkwood and Lothlorien…are definitely places that I know of.” She was in desperate need of a rewatch of Lord of the Rings, having forgotten ninety percent of the lore. She almost felt ashamed at calling herself a fan of the films.</p><p>“Aye. They have expressed an interest in meeting with you, so ready yourself. Galadriel of Lothlorien especially, since she is the grandmother of my children. However, her time is scarce and she might find it difficult to depart from Lothlorien.” He paused, tone growing unsure. “King Thranduil of Mirkwood, however, may visit soon. His son was planning on coming for another matter, and he might follow.”</p><p>“Why would a king want to see me?”</p><p>“I cannot be certain, but it is most likely out of curiosity. Elflings are rare enough in this age, but it is even less common for elflings to appear from another world, as you can surmise.”</p><p>“Pleeeease tell him not to come. He’s going to be so disappointed to have made a long trip only to see someone like me.”</p><p>“One does not simply tell the king of Mirkwood to do something.” He smiled at her horrified expression. “Do not fret, he is kinder than he looks.” He paused. “And acts. Don’t judge him too harshly, he has a good heart,” he added.</p><p>“Wait a second, how did you contact them so quickly?”</p><p>“If need be, elves possess the skill to communicate through their minds. A form of telepathy if you will, although that is a crude term for it.”</p><p>“What? You guys can do that too? No way!”</p><p>“Indeed we can. However, it is to be used sparingly and only in specific circumstances.”</p><p>“Dang!” she said, her eyes widening comically. “What else can elves do?”</p><p>“A select few can glimpse into the future and the minds of others. However, do keep in mind these abilities aren't to be used trivially.”</p><p>“Wow, being an elf is pretty great.” She yawned once more, her eyelids threatening to shut close.</p><p>“Indeed,” he said with an indulgent smile. “Perhaps one day, you too shall possess such skills. For now, though, you must rest well and live well, so you can reach such heights. Goodnight, little one. Sweet dreams.”</p><p>“Night,” she mumbled.</p><p>As she drifted off to sleep she felt strangely comforted, and a lot less alone than before. She supposed Elrond hadn’t been lying when he said he had a lot of experience with these sorts of things—he had managed to raise Elladan and Elrohir after all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rivendell, as Sam quickly found, was very different from California. For one, they had no indoor plumbing, which made bathing a difficult affair. The lights were another thing. Having to rely on candles and lanterns as the main source of light at night got old quickly. The list went on, and while they seemed like minor complaints, they added up. She had quite honestly taken modern technology for granted and was so dependent on it that she didn’t know what to do without it.</p>
<p>The inconveniences were almost unbearable and she tried thinking of ways to help move the elves along technology-wise. However, try as she might, she couldn’t recall how modern appliances worked at all— they just did, almost like magic. She never had to figure any of it out before, unless it was something that required a tiny bit of assembly. Promising herself that she would learn more about it once she got home, she swallowed down her pride and resigned to having to do manual work which she never had to do before.</p>
<p>Currently, she was angrily attempting to wash her clothes by hand in the river with nothing but a wooden board and a bar of soap, all the while cursing the lack of technological advances in Rivendell. An elf doing her laundry had offered to do hers too, but she insisted on doing it herself.</p>
<p>Her small and uncoordinated hands made the task much more difficult. She found herself losing her grip on the slippery soap multiple times and had to fish it out of the water.</p>
<p>Just when she was ready to dump the entire basket and be done with it, Elladan and Elrohir turned up to take her to supper. She was reluctant to leave without having finished her task, but the elf doing her own laundry had taken over for her so quickly she didn’t have time to protest. The elf looked almost happy at being able to take over her pathetic attempt, probably pained at having watched her struggle for so long.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>As she walked away with the twins in tow, she thought about how she would do the next load of laundry. Perhaps she could force the twins to do it for her?</p>
<p>Dinner was a loud affair. The place she had dined in with Glorfindel was not the common dining hall, she had learned, and was just a secluded veranda not many frequented—hence the reason it had seemed so empty the last time. The dining hall they were at now was much larger and held many more tables, not unlike the Great hall from Hogwarts. The elves chatted merrily as they ate, providing the room with a positive atmosphere.</p>
<p>The table she sat at was one with familiar faces, with Elladan and Elrohir clamped firmly on either side of her. They were enthusiastically heaping various foods onto her plate, much more than she could stomach.</p>
<p>“If a stranger were to see Sam, they’d think Sam to be starved by our hands,” Elladan said, placing a sunny side up egg on top of the mountain of mashed potatoes.</p>
<p>“You do need to eat more. When we were your age we were twice your size!” Elrohir added.</p>
<p>“I don’t know what you’re talking about, in what universe would I be considered starved?”</p>
<p>“Leave her be,” Estel called from across the table. “Surely if you were twice her size at the age of five, there was something wrong with your diet.”</p>
<p>“I’m not actually five, or have you forgotten?” Sam knew she was being a bit oversensitive on this subject, but she couldn’t help it.</p>
<p>“Nay, from the way you act, it isn’t too much of a stretch to believe that you are indeed five. I’m certain it would be more difficult to make others think you are fifteen years of age,” Elladan replied, even though the question wasn’t aimed at him.</p>
<p>Her right eye twitched involuntarily, irritation swiftly building.</p>
<p>“Perhaps she would have better luck convincing people that she was seven? She could pass for that, nothing older though,” Elrohir said.</p>
<p>“Seven, huh. She is still stumbling around and causing trouble, so I doubt it.”</p>
<p>Estel sighed and flashed her a sympathetic smile, no doubt remembering the teasing he had had to endure.</p>
<p>For one reason or another, Sam felt especially annoyed at them today; the two seemed to believe her to be defenseless and unable to retaliate, and while that might be true it irked her to no end. Her own snubs did nothing to stop their barrage of insults, and they always had a comeback prepared. She finally understood what her friends had meant when they told her she was lucky not to have to deal with older siblings.</p>
<p>Frustration surged, and instead of words, she opted for a physical act as retaliation.</p>
<p>Impulsively, she stuck her hand into the pile of mashed potatoes sitting on her plate and grabbed as much as her fist allowed. As quickly as she could, she flung it at Elladan, who dodged it elegantly from years of finely honed instinct. The trajectory of the potatoes was thus unaltered, continuing to fly directly toward the person next to Elladan, which happened to be Glorfindel.</p>
<p>She watched in stunned disbelief as the lump of potatoes slid off the side of his face, dropping to the polished floor with an audible splat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She couldn’t believe it. She had just thrown food at the elf who single-handedly took down the balrog, something even Gandalf would have a lot of trouble doing.</p>
<p>Studying Glorfindel, she carefully searched for any sign of anger. All she could see though, was a mask of calm indifference, as if he wasn’t really bothered. Sam was sure that he was only pretending<strike>.</strike> She could only imagine how she herself would feel if someone had thrown food at her face, accident or no.</p>
<p>The surrounding elves quieted for a second upon seeing the debacle before returning to their meals, pretending nothing had happened, which she was grateful for. The ones nearest to her, however, were looking at Glorfindel with faint shock and amusement.</p>
<p>Glorfindel turned his head slowly towards Sam, his conversation with the elf across from him forgotten.</p>
<p>His sharp gaze rendered Sam speechless, her half-baked excuse dying in her throat. Dread coursed through her and she shrank in her seat, awaiting the inevitable explosion.</p>
<p>“Well, that wasn’t very nice,” Glorfindel said with a small frown, though his voice held no irritation. He wiped his face with a handkerchief, before continuing to speak in the same tranquil voice. “Food is meant to be eaten, not thrown. What would the person who made the food for you think?”</p>
<p>“I know!” she said, her irritation at being talked down to temporarily overriding her fear. “But Elladan started it.”</p>
<p>“I did indeed. However, instead of using words, you decided to throw food at me. I’m sure you proved your matureness using that method,” Elladan said smiling, showing no sign of regret at Glorfindel being victimized indirectly by him.</p>
<p>“Yeah, well…”</p>
<p>“You two need to stop antagonizing her so often. It is quite unfair for her, wouldn’t you say? At least wait until she can defend herself,” Glorfindel said.</p>
<p>“But she just proved she could!” Elrohir said. “Though her aim can certainly be improved upon.”</p>
<p>“She’s going to turn out like the two of you when she grows up if this continues,” Glorfindel said. “I am fearful for the future of Imladris should that happen.”</p>
<p>Glorfindel stood up and excused himself, presumably to clean himself off further. She felt slightly relieved, as she had practically gotten off scot-free.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry Glorfindel, I really didn’t mean to hit you. If it will make you feel better, I can try to take another pot-shot at Elladan. I can’t promise that I will hit my intended target this time, though.” Tendrils of regret tugged at her, and she tried her best to sound sincere and not sarcastic.</p>
<p>“Nay,” he said. “That would render my words from earlier useless. Food is sacred and should be treated as such. We, who are fortunate enough to—”</p>
<p>She tuned him out, having heard the same lecture mere moments ago. As soon as he left, she turned on Elladan.</p>
<p>“I’ll get you next time, when you least expect it,” she hissed. “Just you wait.”</p>
<p>“You can try,” he said, giving her a condescending pat on the head before turning back to his food. “Many have, and they all failed miserably.”</p>
<p>“If that last attempt is anything to go by, I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” Elrohir added to her left, eliciting a glare from Sam.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Estel merely sighed, although he looked too amused for Sam’s liking.</p>
<p>Seeing that she was getting nowhere, she cursed at Elladan in English softly before turning to her plate.</p>
<p>They finished the rest of their supper in relative peace, with nothing notable happening. Full and satisfied, she and the elves meandered to the hall of fire, a place she had been looking forward to seeing. Elladan and Elrohir had hyped it up massively for her, and she was expecting it to blow her mind.</p>
<p>And it did! The Hall of Fire was truly a sight to behold. At night, it looked much livelier than when she passed it the last time. The fire roared and crackled, glowing brightly in the center of the room.</p>
<p>The twins were in their element, patrolling around and exchanging words with everyone in their vicinity. Even Estel, who had appeared to be the most reserved looked to be having a good time.</p>
<p>Sam, who was still overwhelmed by all the things happening around her, silently took a seat at a tall table at the edge of the room. She was content just to observe.</p>
<p>The elves sang songs of things Sam had never heard of, the lyrics sounding even more archaic than the already eloquent speech used by herself and the elves around her. Despite that, she felt drawn to the song. It was enchanting and filled her with strong emotions, although she wasn’t sure what they were. Somehow, she could see flashes of pictures in her mind, allowing her to understand the contents of the song. She found herself greatly enjoying the song, despite it not being in the genre she usually listened to.</p>
<p>“Are you enjoying yourself?” Glorfindel asked, sidling up to take a seat next to her. Sam hesitated for a moment, trying to ascertain if he bore any ill will toward her. To her great surprise, there seemed to be none.</p>
<p>He must be a saint then, Sam concluded. She endeavored to be kinder to him in the future to make up for her screw-up. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” she replied, angling her seat so that she was facing him. “This song is nice.”</p>
<p>“It's the Hymn of Elbereth,” he explained without her having to ask. “One of the favorites amongst those gathered here. They sing it many times a night.”</p>
<p>“You guys really do love singing,” she noted.</p>
<p>“Yes, it is how we communicate and pass down stories. Is it not the same for your world?”</p>
<p>“Not really, there’s definitely music, but that’s mainly for entertainment,” she said thoughtfully. “Although I must say, this is way better than reading history textbooks.”</p>
<p>“Is that how history is passed down in your culture? Through scripture?”</p>
<p>“I guess? For the most part at least.”</p>
<p>“That is ...” He looked vaguely uncomfortable, as if he was unable to grasp the concept of what she was saying. “Music can express so much more than mere scriptures. It can capture the emotions and scenery perfectly. I hope you can appreciate this type of expression.”</p>
<p>“Oh, for sure. I never liked to listen in history classes.” She made a face when she remembered the torture that was AP American history and government. She supposed Hamilton made up for it a bit. “Oh wait, we do have musicals. It's more like acting combined with songs, and someone made one about the founding of my country.”</p>
<p>“Intriguing, do tell me more.”</p>
<p>“It's called Hamilton, an American musical,” she said. It was surreal to tell an elf about Hamilton. “Hamilton is one of the founding fathers…”</p>
<p>Glorfindel listened to her explanation intently, albeit with a confused expression.</p>
<p>“I get that it's not as pretty as the songs here, but it did help me get more interested in the class. Maybe you guys are onto something when you make everything into songs.”</p>
<p>“I’m glad you aren’t opposed to it,” he said with a vaguely puzzled expression.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The song had changed, taking her attention span with it. Turning to Glorfindel, she changed the subject.</p>
<p>“Elrond mentioned that King Thranduil is coming here, is that true?”</p>
<p>“Aye, he speaks the truth. To be quite honest, it is rather unexpected for him to take such a trip. He rarely meddles in the affairs of others.”</p>
<p>“Can you tell me a bit about him? He sounds like an … interesting guy.”</p>
<p>“He can be apathetic, even to the people he holds close to his heart. Some might take his aloofness for disdain, and they would be wrong. Give him a chance, he might surprise you.”   </p>
<p>“Elrond said the same thing,” she said. “But I’m not sure if I want to meet him at all if he's really that emotionless. Sounds scary honestly.”</p>
<p>“Rest assured, he won’t do anything to you. He is kind to most unless they have aggrieved him terribly in some way. You won’t have to be with him much if you don’t want to.”</p>
<p>“What about his son, what’s he like?”</p>
<p>“Prince Legolas! Of course. How could I have forgotten.” He smiled slightly and straightened up in his seat. “He is nothing like his father, if that was what you were wondering. You’d like him, most do. He is similar to Elladan and Elrohir, only less...playful.”</p>
<p>Sam’s eyes widened slightly. She would get to meet Legolas! She wondered if the real Legolas would be similar to Tolkien’s version played by Orlando Bloom; the real Aragorn hadn’t been what she was expecting, but then again, this Aragorn hadn’t gotten to experience things his counterpart did. How exciting. Although it did surprise her that his father was so cold, as Legolas had always seemed like the friendly type to her.</p>
<p>“Oh good. It wouldn’t be rude to ignore King Thranduil if I talked to his son right? I’ll get to ditch Elladan and Elrohir too.”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t ignore Thranduil if I were you,” he warned. “He isn't one to be trifled with.”</p>
<p>“Fine, I doubt he actually wants to spend any time with me anyway.” The descriptions she was getting about the king made her uneasy, and she wasn’t looking forward to his arrival. She already had a hard time connecting with the elves here, who were all kind and easy-going. “Say, what do you think he’s really coming here for? I dunno if I believe Elrond when he said that he was coming because he was curious about me.”</p>
<p>“Who knows? Thranduil can be difficult to understand at times,” he said cryptically. “For now, let us not worry about what the future holds and enjoy the music.”</p>
<p>Taking his advice, she relaxed. Staring at the everlasting flames, she felt content, and for a moment she could see herself remaining in Rivendell. The irony was, having really exchanged worlds herself, their stories anchored her more than anything else had done so far. She almost wished the elves would never stop singing them.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading guys! The next chapter should come out quicker hopefully. I actually have it planned out for once!  I didn't have too much time this week, so this chapter ended up shorter than the other ones. I still wanted to put something out though, so yeaa. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, I bet I can reach the top of that tree before you Elladan,” Sam boasted as they passed by a particularly large tree.</p><p>They had been taking a leisure stroll in the central courtyard of Rivendell, enjoying the morning breeze and the pleasant sunshine. It was business as usual, with the twins taking jabs at her and trying to rile Sam up and provoke another outburst.</p><p>She was feeling particularly energetic today, so instead of insulting them back, she decided to try her hand at challenging one of them to a contest of sorts. If she could manage to win, it would be good ammo to use for the next time they decide to be irritating.</p><p>“Oh, you’re challenging me, the master climber?” he replied. “And what if you can’t</p><p>“I’ll… steal some food for you from the kitchens.”</p><p>“Excellent. It seems that being around us has corrupted you.” He grinned and cracked his knuckles. “As a gesture of goodwill, I will allow you a thirty-second head start.”</p><p>“How bad do you think I am? That’s almost insulting,” she snorted. “Make it twenty.” She wasn’t sure why she was making it harder for herself, but she was feeling extremely fired up at the moment and couldn’t help it.</p><p>“As you wish. Just don’t come to me crying when you lose.”</p><p>“Yeah right, it’s more embarrassing for you to lose, isn’t it? Since you’re so much older and stuff.”</p><p>“I don’t lose, not to little elflings like you.”  His smugness was grating on Sam’s nerves, and she was even more determined to win now. “Elrohir, will you be our judge?”</p><p>“Of course.” He walked away from the tree for a better view while Elladan and Sam got into position.</p><p>“On your mark, get set, go!” Elrohir called.</p><p> </p><p>Sam shot up the tree as quickly as she could, her arms scrambling to grab onto branches and pieces of bark. She was doing surprisingly well, but her size made it hard for her to go fast; her arms could only reach so high. Elladan stayed true to his word and only started climbing once she was already halfway up. Once he began, he gained on her at an incredible speed.</p><p>Feeling the pressure, Sam picked up the pace as well, taking up a riskier method of using momentum to swing herself up. Just as she was about to grasp the final branch that would lead her to victory, Elladan had caught up, using his insane upper body strength to boost himself over her. He then sat on the tallest branch and looked down tauntingly at Sam.</p><p>“It appears that I have won,” he said smugly. Again, she wasn’t sure why he was showing so much pride at having beaten a literal child, but she chalked it up to being an elf thing – Glorfindel was the same.</p><p>“Dang,” she said with mild disappointment. Perhaps she should’ve taken the longer head start.</p><p>“Now for my payment. To the kitchens we go!” With that, the slender elf hopped down from the tree as if it wasn’t a three-story-tall drop. That was when Sam finally realized how high up they were. Swallowing nervously, she glanced down. The ground was far enough away to make her feel nauseous. She hugged the thick tree branch for support, just in case.</p><p>“Wait, how do I get down?” she asked, trying to keep the panic out of her voice.</p><p>“You got yourself up there, you can get yourself down. Just jump. Don’t worry, elves always land on their feet,” Elladan called from below.</p><p>A gust of wind swept over her, tussling her hair. Her grip on the tree tightened. An image of her snapping her neck on the ground flashed through her mind, and she almost vomited right there.</p><p>“I’m not a stinking cat! Please just get me down,” she begged, her fear taking over her dignity.</p><p>“But then you would be relying on us. I thought you wanted to prove just how independent you can be. If you cannot even get down from a simple tree, how do you expect to not be seen as a little elfling. Besides, I recall you calling yourself mature.” She could just hear the smugness in his voice and she knew he was smiling at her suffering.</p><p>“That’s different!” She said. “I’m not kidding around anymore! You guys are being jerks.”</p><p>“Come now, it isn’t that difficult. We are here to help if anything goes wrong,” he assured her.</p><p>“No!” Finally raising her voice, she crouched down on the branch, making herself as small as she could. “I’m not going down until you get me.” She closed her eyes, pretending she was on her bed and not super high up.</p><p>“Sam, please be reasonable,” Elrohir called. His voice seemed to come from the same position as Elladan, indicating that he must have joined his twin brother directly at the foot of the tree. “We all know you can’t stay there forever.”</p><p>“Watch me.” Her eyes were still shut tight, and she could feel tears of fear and rage threatening to spill.</p><p> </p><p>They remained like that for a while with both sides refusing to budge. She wondered if the lack of children in Rivendell wasn’t due to a low birthrate, but because they kept being placed in dangerous situations. The twins certainly weren’t at all concerned with letting her climb a tree that tall whereas her own parents probably would’ve freaked out if she swung a little too high on the kiddie swings.</p><p>At one point, Sam heard approaching footsteps. Hoping that it was someone who would be willing to get her down, Sam steeled her nerves and glanced downward.  With the help of her superior eyesight, she was able to make out the figures of Elrond and two other elves she did not recognize. They were conversing with the twins in a low tone, gesticulating rapidly as they spoke. Intrigued, the girl leaned forward slightly to get a clearer view. From her angle, she could only see the back of their heads.</p><p>The taller of the two unfamiliar elves abruptly inclined his head and looked directly at Sam in her semi-secluded spot in the tree. The moment their eyes met, she felt her heart stop. His eyes were a pleasant shade of blue, but the coldness and contempt that they seemingly held drove a spike of icy fear into her.</p><p>The firm grip she had on the tree branch slackened, and she subconsciously scooted backward – as far away from the intimidating elf as possible. Unfortunately for her, there was nothing to step onto besides the branch and she tipped over backward. Sam fell, with her arms windmilling about her and her mouth opened in a silent scream. Unlike the time she had fallen from the statue, this fall was a lot higher up, giving her ample time to freak out. <em>Was this it? What a lame way to go.</em></p><p>She landed hard and had the wind knocked out of her. The expected pain never came, and she looked around to see that she was not on the ground and was instead safely nestled in someone’s arms. Letting out a sigh of relief, she quickly wiggled out of the loose hold. The twins had her back after all, perhaps she had been too harsh on them.</p><p>“Are you alright?” asked a cold voice.</p><p>Spinning around, she found herself face to face with the elf that had caused her to fall. <em>He saved me? </em>She thought incredulously. Her face flushed red with embarrassment.</p><p>Up close, he looked even more intimidating somehow, and she couldn’t help but cower underneath his icy glare. Unable to stand his overwhelming presence, Sam ran and hid herself behind Elrond.</p><p>“Why does the small child recoil? I mean her no harm,” the scary elf said. The bewilderment etched on his face softened it somewhat, lowering Sam’s guard ever so slightly. </p><p>“It could be due to your disposition,” the other unknown elf suggested. “I’d imagine it to be a little bit overwhelming for one so young. Perhaps an introduction might make her less tense?”</p><p>“Sam, they are King Thranduil and Prince Legolas. The elves from Mirkwood I told you about. Do you remember?” Elrond asked her gently.</p><p>She nodded meekly, offering a weak smile to the two elves. She had been looking forward to their arrival, or at least Legolas’, but now that they were here, she felt shy. Her introduction to them was also less than ideal.</p><p>The scary elf – Thranduil – approached her, making her stiffen slightly and clench her fist tightly around the fabric of Elrond’s clothes.</p><p>“Your name is Samantha, correct?”</p><p>“Yeah… nice to meet you.” The words came out a lot quieter than she had hoped and sounded rather hoarse.</p><p>Thranduil nodded, giving her an appraising look before backing off. Sam let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding – his presence was so heavy that it felt like there was a physical weight on her chest. She wasn’t sure what to make of him. While she could vaguely recall his presence in <em>the Hobbit,</em> she couldn’t remember any specifics. It was too long ago and she never rewatched it, always preferring <em>The Lord of the Rings</em> trilogy over it.</p><p> </p><p>The elves she had met in Rivendell were like him in the way that they radiated power and dignity, no doubt a side effect from having been alive for thousands of years. However, while the Rivendell elves were friendly and welcoming, Thranduil was anything but. He didn’t smile, and the look he gave Sam was so calculating it gave her the shivers.</p><p>Suddenly catching sight of the twins, she remembered why she was in such an embarrassing situation in the first place. The rage returned, and she walked towards them furiously.</p><p>“You…!” She felt tears prickle, threatening to fall. “You jerk. I hate you. This is all your fault. Why couldn’t you have just been normal and helped me down? It was really scary.” She resisted the urge to give him a push to accentuate her words, as he probably wouldn’t even budge an inch from her efforts.</p><p>“I apologize,” Elladan said. “I didn’t think you were in any real danger. Please forgive me.”</p><p>He sounded genuine, but Sam was still not over it.</p><p>“You guys never take me seriously. That could have gone way worse,” she complained.</p><p>“We are still in the company of our esteemed guests,” Elrond said, cutting in their argument. “Let us resolve this another time. For now, we shall show them our hospitality.” His tone had a slight warning edge to it, making Sam hesitate for a split second.</p><p>“But…”</p><p>“Later,” he repeated.</p><p>Sam grumbled unhappily but dropped it regardless. The elves started walking, and she followed, making sure to keep a sizable distance between her and Thranduil. She was still rather wary of him even though he had saved her just now.</p><p>xxx</p><p>Apparently, showing hospitality in Rivendell was to drink. In the middle of the day. Elrond had a lot of wine brought out, along with a mountain of food. For Sam, she only got some mild-tasting apple juice. Thranduil looked vaguely excited at the sight of the alcohol, an uncharacteristic gleam flashing in his eyes for a brief moment. An alcoholic perhaps. It didn’t seem that farfetched.</p><p>She was confused as to why she was invited to this meeting and sat there awkwardly sipping her juice while glaring at the twins to show her displeasure.</p><p>Glancing over at Elrond and Thranduil, she found them to be engrossed in their conversation. Taking this opportunity, Sam started her indignant rant at the twins once again.</p><p>“I can’t believe you’ve done this,” she said. “I hope you guys are happy, I’ll never trust you again.” She knew she was being a tad dramatic, but the event had shaken her deeply; she was afraid that something similar would happen and the twins would only dismiss her fears like they had today.</p><p>“What? But you were not in any actual danger,” Elladan said defensively, reusing his earlier argument. “We would’ve caught you, should you have fallen.”</p><p>“Brother please, Legolas is with us today,” Elrohir said. “Let us not burden him with our trivial squabbles.”</p><p>“Wait yeah, there’s a third party here.” She turned toward Legolas, ready to begin her rant about the twins. She still felt slighted from the previous events and wished for some sympathy from someone outside their circle. “Can you believe these two? They have been terrorizing me since the day they met me.”</p><p>“How could you say that? We do not <em>terrorize</em>. Think of it as … character building.”</p><p>“Is this how you treat the young ones in Imladris?” Legolas asked, speaking up for the first time. His mouth was twisted in a wry smile, looking very much like his father. “If I were lucky enough to have a younger sister, I would be much kinder to her.”</p><p>“Right?” Sam said. “Apparently they were like that with Arwen as well.” She was glad Legolas was taking her side.</p><p>“Nay, it is character building. The world is a scary place, especially for elflings like you. How can you face the world if you cannot face us?” Elrohir asked.</p><p>“The only scary thing in the world is you jerks.” She stabbed at her food pretending it was his face.</p><p>“Careful there Elladan. It seems as if her opinion of you is low. If you do not want her, she would be welcomed in Mirkwood. Who knows? Perhaps she would be happier there.” Legolas’ half-smile grew, giving him a sly look. It seemed like Elladan and Elrohir weren’t the only ones that liked to tease.</p><p>“Watch what you say.” Elladan looked tense, his smooth face contorting in annoyance. “I am an excellent brother, just ask Estel and Arwen.”</p><p>“Besides, Sam would never wish to live in Mirkwood,” Elrohir said. “There are giant spiders there, big enough to swallow elflings whole.”</p><p>“Eeek, no way,” Sam said apprehensively. “No spiders are that big. Unless you go to Australia or something, but even then, I don’t know…”</p><p>She knew there were spiders in the movies, but her arachnophobia was so crippling she had to force her friend to skip the scenes with spiders from the third movie; she never got to see how big they were.</p><p>“It’s true.” Elladan looked more at ease now. “They are hairy and love to wrap small elflings into their webbed cocoons. Then they keep you alive and aware, while they feast on your flesh, piece by piece. And it isn’t just one big spider either, there are too many to count, too many to fight. There are huge nests of them, and they all love the taste of little elflings.” His voice dropped into a whisper at the end of the sentence to make it sound scarier.</p><p>“Say it ain’t so,” she said to Legolas, eyes widening. </p><p>“I’m afraid it is true. Although you’ll never have to see one if you do go to Mirkwood one day.”</p><p>Sam could feel her panic rising as her hyperactive imagination ran wild with his words.</p><p>“Wait, Sam, did I actually scare you?” Elladan asked.</p><p> </p><p>She knew Elladan was only trying to frighten her with his dumb words – like how her father had used the boogeyman to prevent her from getting up in the middle of the night – but it was working. Damn her new childish brain. All she could see in her mind were giant spiders trying to eat her.</p><p>“Look what you’ve done,” Legolas said. “She’s trembling.”</p><p>“I was only joking,” Elladan said frantically when she saw her ashen face. “Spiders are … uh … friendly creatures…”</p><p>“Liar. Promise me I’ll never have to see any in my entire life. There aren’t any here are there?” She shuddered at the thought.</p><p>“I promise. And don’t worry, there aren’t any here. I think.”</p><p>“<em>You think?</em>” She asked shrilly. “What do you mean 'you think’?”</p><p>“Elladan, you’re horrible at this. I can’t imagine how the eldest sibling of four can be this bad with children.” Legolas looked amused. “Even I, an only child, can see what you’re doing wrong.”</p><p>“Well then, Legolas, master of comforting children. You make her feel better.”</p><p>“Alright,” he said before turning to face Sam properly. He looked solemn and serious for the first time in the entire conversation. “I promise to protect you from all the evils of the world, giant spiders included. Should any danger ever befall you, I shall not forsake you like your brothers did today, and will instead strike it down with the fury of a thousand suns.” He was grinning at the end of his little speech, and Sam smiled too, deciding that she liked him. He reminded her of a friend she had who would make every little thing as dramatic as possible, making everything funnier and more exciting, and also less scary as a result.</p><p>“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Elrohir said. “How can you protect her when you’re back in Mirkwood.”</p><p>“You never know, things might change.” Legolas was wearing a weird expression now as if he knew something the rest of them didn’t.</p><p>“Well, whatever. I don’t care anymore. I guess I’ll just have nightmares for the next few weeks.” The conversation was getting too strange for Sam’s taste, so she tried to put a stop to it.</p><p>“Feel free to come to me about them if they ever get too bad. I’ve had my fair share of nighttime terrors, so I know how to deal with them,” Legolas said.</p><p>“Uh… I’ll keep that in mind.” Her nightmare comment was more of a guilt trip meant for Elladan, but the sincere way Legolas responded to it did make her feel better. She couldn’t help but compare the twins with Legolas, who had been much kinder to her so far, even though they had just met.</p><p> </p><p>xxx</p><p> </p><p>Once they finished their food, Sam stood to stretch her stiff limbs, courtesy of having been in a sitting position for too long. Elrond and Thranduil’s conversation had lasted what felt like over an hour, and Legolas and the twins had been having their own talk, leaving her to her own devices. She was glad it was over.</p><p>“Sam lets go play in the garden,” Elrohir said coaxingly, hoping that Sam was ready to bury the hatchet.</p><p>“No, I don’t want anything to do with you guys today.” She crossed her arms, still angry.</p><p>“Stop bothering her,” Elrond said. He had finished his conversation with Thranduil and had decided to intervene for once. “Let her cool off.”</p><p>Elrohir looked like he was going to protest but then nodded.</p><p>“I really am sorry, Sam. Can you come find us when you’re not angry anymore?”</p><p>She shrugged, and he sighed. They talked to Legolas for a bit before exiting together, on some covert matter no doubt. Weirdly enough, and despite their earlier disagreement on the treatment of elflings, the three of them looked to be on friendly terms. Elves were more closely knit than she had assumed originally.</p><p>Suddenly, Sam felt very left out, even though she had been the one to reject them. The twins had gone too far today, however, and she didn’t want to forgive them just yet; her dignity wouldn’t allow it.</p><p>Thranduil, who hadn’t talked to her at all during their meal, suddenly stood in front of her. Sam nervously looked up to meet his eyes and was surprised to find his expression to be less cold than before.</p><p>“Samantha, come,” he said, already sweeping out of the room without waiting for a response.</p><p>“What does he want?” Sam asked Elrond in a low tone. Thranduil was honestly the last person she wanted to be alone with.</p><p>“I’m not certain. You do not have to go if you don’t wish to. I know you are weary of him still,” he said.</p><p> “Hm …” she said. “It’s … safe right? Like … I won’t somehow lose a limb or something from this?”</p><p>“I’m certain you won’t.” Elrond looked amused. “Thranduil’s an old friend of mine – I can vouch for his character.”</p><p> </p><p>Thranduil’s figure had disappeared from her view, and she would have to make her decision now if she wanted to follow.</p><p>“If you truly don’t wish to speak with him, I can inform him on your behalf and we could arrange another meeting?” </p><p>“No, that’s alright. Can’t hurt to chat I suppose,” she said. The way Elrond phrased it made her guilty  - Thranduil hadn’t done anything except save her earlier, and here she was, being so afraid of him. Perhaps she had judged him too harshly.</p><p>Giving Elrond a wave, she sprinted in the direction Thranduil had gone off to, hoping that he hadn’t gone off too far.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yay, Thranduil and Legolas finally come! I hope my characterization in this chapter was okay. I wasn't sure if I made Thranduil too cold since a lot of people like the book version of him where he was kinder, but I honestly really like the movie version of him. I'd love to know what you guys thought of them in this chapter.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Omg finally! I can't believe how long it took for me to update this! Before you guys read though, there are few things I want to say first.</p><p>First of all, I got an amazing beta reader! Leona2016! One of the reasons why it took so long for us to get to this chapter is because we went through all the past chapters (1-8) and fixed up all the mistakes and plot holes. A major thank you to her for bearing with all my spelling and grammar mistakes! While I think the new version is much better, I get that not everyone wants to go and reread stuff they've already read. There are a few plot changes that I made, but if you guys don't feel like rereading stuff, let me know and I'll include a little sparknotes version of the changes in the next one. Anyway, that's it for now. I'll let you guys get to it! :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sam struggled to keep up with Thranduil who walked at an unforgiving pace, forcing her to do a slight jog in order to not lose sight of him. She wished Thranduil would slow down a bit but was way too scared to say anything to the intimidating elf, so she stewed in silence, hoping that wherever they were going wasn’t much further.</p><p>Thranduil looked as if he knew exactly where he was going, not stopping once and determinedly striding on. Sam wasn’t familiar with the area, but constantly glanced around, trying to remember the landmarks. She wanted an escape route in case things went awry during their conversations, just in case.</p><p>Thranduil finally paused at a particularly dense grove of trees before entering it. Sam was certain now that she had never been here before. How was it that the Elvenking had time to find secret locations when he only came to Rivendell for business reasons? She was curious, but again, didn’t dare ask.</p><p>The trees opened up to reveal a sizable lake, shocking Sam to her core. How had this lake escaped her notice? It was huge! If she had known it was here, she definitely would have came here more often. The crystal clear water glistened enticingly, almost begging her to go for a swim despite the chilly weather.</p><p>As they approached, Sam noticed a small wooden sign next to the water. There were words neatly carved into the wood. She couldn’t understand the language, but they reminded her of the book she had discovered in Elrond’s library.</p><p>Thranduil’s keen eyes didn’t miss her attention to the sign.</p><p>“Deep waters, beware,” he said. “Those are the words inscribed upon it."</p><p>“Oh … I see,” she mumbled, face flushing. She hated how she was technically illiterate in Middle-Earth. “Thanks.”</p><p>She silently wondered if the sign had any use at all — elves must be strong swimmers, they probably didn’t need a sign telling them what to do. A thought struck her out of nowhere, and she paled. <em>What if there is a monster underneath the water? Like the Watcher in the water? </em>  She comforted herself by thinking that there was nothing dangerous in Rivendell — it was the last homely house, wasn’t it? However, a seed of horror had already been planted and the childish part of her mind went into overdrive. The lake didn’t look as appealing anymore.</p><p>Thranduil however, had no such qualms. He made his way over to a gorgeous boat floating serenely on the shore of the lake.It, like everything else the elves crafted, was simple yet elegant. They were a pristine white, and it boggled Sam’s mind that it had ever been in the water. How did it stay clean?</p><p>A pair of oars were placed neatly by the side of it, which Thranduil picked up. <em>Don’t tell me he wants to go on a boat ride? </em>Sam crossed her fingers, praying that he was merely admiring the craftsmanship of the oars and had no plans to actually start rowing.</p><p>Unfortunately for her, Thranduil gracefully mounted the boat and looked at Sam expectantly.</p><p><em>Why, God, Why? </em> Sam thought miserably. However, fear of Thranduil’s wrath won over her fear of an imaginary lake monster and she got on the boat reluctantly. The boat wobbled as she stepped on it, and she almost fell in the water. Heart hammering in alarm, she found her footing and sat gingerly on the seat across from Thranduil, who had begun to row slowly.</p><p>The silence was deafening, and Sam supposed she should use this moment to thank him for saving her earlier. She had missed her opportunity before, but if she were to do it now it would feel too sudden. She frowned trying to think of a way to broach the subject, all the while cursing her social ineptness. In her defense, Thranduil wasn’t the easiest person to talk to. A mere glance at his stone-cold face sent Sam’s words stumbling back to her throat.</p><p>“What troubles you?” he asked finally, breaking the silence.</p><p>“Um…” Thranduil was looking at her with that icy stare of his, greatly unnerving her. “uh…” She shifted uncomfortably. What was she doing? This was her chance to say her thanks, and instead she ended up looking more like a fool.</p><p>“No need to fear me. Speak your mind child,” Thranduil coaxed her.</p><p>“I, uh …wanted to thank you for catching me earlier.” She blushed. “Um I…” She felt almost guilty for being so afraid, Thranduil had done nothing but help her, and yet here she was, unable to even look him in the eye. “I am in your debt,” she finished awkwardly. What was more, the regal aura the Elvenking exuded prompted her to use more formal language, and she channeled her inner Shakespeare – not that she read many of his books, only the required readings from her school – to try and not sound like an uncultured person.</p><p>“My debt? Do you know what being in my debt entails?” he questioned, ever so impassively.</p><p>“Um… not really, no?”</p><p>“I am Thranduil, King of the woodland Realms. The last defense of the people of the West. I own all the most precious jewels and treasures known the Arda,” he drawled, a haughty look on his face.</p><p>“Uh. Okay?”</p><p>“What I mean to ask, child, is what might you have to offer me in repayment of this debt you speak of? Think carefully, for there are few that can impress me.”</p><p>Sam felt close to tears. Thranduil had to be pulling her leg, but she wasn’t sure he was capable of doing something like that.</p><p>“My … friendship? I don’t know… I’m sorry.” Why did she say that? Her friendship?<em> Really? </em></p><p>To her surprise, he relaxed, his imposing posture disappearing in an instant.</p><p>“Friendship,” he echoed. “How imprudent of you to offer. None have ever offered that in my many years of life. What makes you think that it would be something I desire?”</p><p>Sam was sure he didn’t mean it that way, but his response made him sound like he had no friends. If she wasn’t so tense, she probably would’ve laughed. Instead her urge to cry became stronger; she wasn’t sure how much longer she could take this. His words, while not outright hostile, were certainly not how people usually talked to kids. She had grown accustomed to the kind and friendly elves here in Rivendell, and talking to Thranduil was stressing her out.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m … a good friend. For my friend’s birthday I got her a super cute Totoro plush and a slice of apple pie. Granted, it was my dad’s money, but I had to help around the house to get him to agree. Also, when she broke up with her boyfriend I went over to her house with a tub of ice-cream and a blue ray disk of Hot Fuzz. I guess that doesn’t really apply to you since… yeah,” she rambled nervously, feeling a slight urge to defend the worth of her friendship. She had lots of friends, dammit. At the stony look on Thranduil’s face,  she wanted to take it all back. The words Totoro and plush most certainly did not translate well into Sindarin, neither did Hot Fuzz. She fought the urge to throw herself into the lake in embarrassment, but she was sure Thranduil was about to do it anyway in a moment.</p><p>“In that case, it would be foolish of me to turn down your generous offer of friendship,” he said. “Although I must confess, I am not familiar with the gifts you referred to.”</p><p>Sam giggled, mostly out of surprise. To think he was being sarcastic the entire time! Perhaps he wasn’t as bad as the movies made him out to be?</p><p>“It’s a stuffed toy that looks like a character from a movie. Though I guess there are no movies here…”</p><p>“I see.” To his credit, his facial expression remained the same unlike Glorfindel who had looked like her in math – lost and confused.</p><p>“I overheard your conversation with my son,” he said, changing the subject. “I must wonder if if the elves of Rivendell are treating you well. It would be a shame if the last elfling of Arda was being mistreated.” His tone was casual, but it made Sam uncomfortable.</p><p>“No. They’re nice to me.”</p><p>“That is good to hear. The race of elves is dwindling at a rather alarming pace and I fear our presence in Arda isn’t going to last long. I just wanted to emphasize the symbolic importance of your presence here. It is more significant than you might think.”</p><p>“I’m not really an elf though. I don’t know what Elrond told you, but I only became an elf recently.”</p><p>“Your name is rather unusual,” he admitted.</p><p>“It’s pretty common where I come from. There are two more Samanthas in my school, not even counting the Samuels.”</p><p>“It is not a name for elves, especially the shortened version you prefer. Sam, was it?” He wore a look of disdain when he said the word, as if saying it left a sour taste in his mouth. “That is a name for hobbits, and male ones at that.”</p><p>Suddenly feeling defensive, her first instinct was to stick up for her name. However, a glance at Thranduil’s icy countenance was enough to deflate her will to argue. He was still quite scary.</p><p>“My parents gave it to me…” she offered weakly.</p><p><br/>
“It matters not,” he said dismissively. “Names are paramount in the identity of elves; it would not do for you to go by ‘Sam’. It is too crude. It would be best to consider changing your name.”</p><p>“Ah… I don’t think that’s …” While she wasn’t extremely attached to her name, it was the last real connection with her home and family. Besides, she had it for fifteen years and couldn’t imagine changing it. It didn’t feel right. Elvish names were strange anyway. She didn’t think they would suit her at all.</p><p>“Consider it my advice to you. Take it or leave it, I care not.”  </p><p>“I’ll … keep it in mind.”</p><p>They sat in relative silence for a while, with only the sound of the oars cutting through the water in the background. It was tranquil.</p><p>“Your presence reminds me of a better time, a simpler time. Mirkwood has been ravaged by the forces of evil as of late, and I fear I may never feel such lightheartedness there.” He looked lost in thought for a second, looking like an old man reminiscing his memories – which he was, in a way. “I was right to have come here.”</p><p>For a moment, Sam was surprised by how candidly the Elvenking was speaking. She waited for him to continue, but he never did.</p><p> </p><p>They had floated to the center of the pond, and Thranduil stopped rowing. The water stilled and the serenity of the scene allowed Sam to relax for the first time in Thranduil’s presence. She had been waiting for him to ask about Earth or how she had managed to come to Middle-Earth, but he hadn’t, thankfully. Thranduil himself had leaned backwards slightly, looking content.</p><p>Sam looked around, trying to take in the scenery and tranquility. There hadn’t been many moments like these back on Earth, which made her current experience almost surreal.</p><p>To her delight, she spotted a beautiful lotus in the water within arm’s reach of the boat. The lotus was a pale blue that seemed to reflect the color of the water. It looked almost transparent.</p><p>With a glance at the stoic king, Sam stretched her arm out to snatch the flower. It was merely a few centimeters from her fingers, and if she just leaned out a bit more, she could just —</p><p>She leaned out too much and lost her balance, falling into the pond with a small splash. For a split second, she was too shocked to move, but the lack of oxygen quickly motivated her, and she managed to break her head out of the water.</p><p>Taking in a large gulp of air, she tried to yell for help. The water in her airway blocked her voice, and she was only able to let out a spluttering sound before going under again.</p><p>She knew how to swim, but the frigid water rendered her limbs cold and unresponsive. Each time she broke her head out from the surface, she managed to catch a glimpse of Thranduil sitting idly on the boat. What the hell was he doing? Why hadn’t he pulled her out yet? Frustrated, she flailed her limbs some more only to end up with a mouthful of pond water.</p><p>People always said to remain still when drowning to float, but Sam was panicking too much. She tried kicking her feet to see if her toes could touch the ground, but to no avail.</p><p><em>Deep waters indeed</em>, she thought grumpily.</p><p>Continuing her kicking in the irrational hope it would yield some results at some point, her feet instead entangled with long weeds. She felt her breath giving out — she couldn’t stay underwater for much longer.</p><p>Then it all went blissfully blank, as if she wasn’t in the middle of drowning. All her surroundings disappeared, and she felt strangely calm — all the panic melting away in a second.</p><p>In the blink of an eye, she was back in her suburb on Earth. Except she wasn’t really there; she was seeing it from a strange omniscient perspective, as if she was playing a Sims game.</p><p>She struggled to get closer, desperate to see what had become of her family after her disappearance.</p><p>The moment she got within viewing distance, she felt her breath hitch. Her parents were standing in the doorway, talking to some police officers. Her mom looked devastated, and even her dad who was able to remain optimistic in the worst circumstances looked close to tears. Sam had never seen him like that, and it broke her heart. Then she saw Rex, who was always playing in the yard during this time of day, lying down on the front porch, looking the most lethargic he had ever looked.</p><p>Horrified at the scene, Sam tried to shout at them to let them know she was alright, but to no avail; no sound came out of her mouth, and they didn’t react to her frantic waving in her direction either.</p><p>She could only watch with mounting despair as her mom gave a sweeping look before going back inside the house, not knowing her daughter was mere feet away from her.</p><p>Her dad shook the police officer’s hand before taking his leave, only stopping to give Rex a half-hearted head pat.</p><p>Then the street was empty once more.</p><p>She let out a sob, but still no sound came out. Oh, how she wanted to talk to her parents, to pet her dog.</p><p>Then, as if the universe had heard her plea, Rex sniffed the air and stared straight at her. He let out a bark and charged right at her, his tail wagging like crazy. Sam was certain he could sense her presence somehow. Some kind of animal instinct no doubt.</p><p>Just as Rex was about to make contact with her, her surroundings began to fade into nothingness.</p><p>
  <em>No! Just a few more seconds…</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“What have you done to her?”</p><p>“Nothing. She fell out of the boat attempting to pick a lily. I managed to save her. Again. You should be grateful.”</p><p>Quiet voices woke Sam up, and without having to open her eyes she knew she was back in Rivendell. Though she wasn’t sure she had ever really left it in the first place.</p><p>“Grateful? Pray tell, what is there to be grateful for? You were the one to take her on the boat,” a familiar voice said. Contrary to his accusatory words, his voice was calm with no sign of anger. “Besides, how did it end with her unconscious?”</p><p>“Perhaps she was too afraid of the water? While I understand your concern, I do not appreciate the implications of your words. The fault does not lie with me.” The other voice was equally calm, but his tone had an edge to it. “Be mindful of who you are talking to.”</p><p>Opening her eyes, Sam found herself near a cozy fireplace with a soft blanket wrapped around her.</p><p>The voices continued to argue, but all she could think of was the ultra-realistic vision she just had. The scene kept replaying endlessly in her head, the sight of her grieving family seared into her eyes. She sobbed, despite there being other people in the room.</p><p>“Sam? What is the matter? Did Thranduil say something to you?” Elladan appeared before her.  Strangely enough, Elrohir was nowhere to be seen.</p><p>“No…”</p><p>“Enough with the baseless accusations. I have done nothing.” Thranduil himself also appeared, and Sam recoiled a tiny bit.</p><p>“I saw my parents when I passed out. They were right in front of me, but they couldn’t hear or see me at all.” She looked at Elladan with watery eyes, their quarrel long forgotten. “It was real, I’m sure of it. All the details were so vivid and accurate.” She let out another sob, unable to control her emotions.</p><p>“That’s…” Elladan looked uncomfortable and oddly panicked. “Perhaps it was your mind playing a trick on you. Sometimes, our minds can conjure images we wish to see. Just … stop crying and think it to be false.” He made some awkward hand gestures as he talked, trying to soothe her.</p><p>“Look. I wish I never had to see my parents like that. I’d rather be ignorant of their pain. But now that I’ve seen it, I can’t pretend it’s just a trick of my brain.” She drew in a shaky breath. “I know what I saw.”</p><p>“We can discuss this later. For now, relax and take your mind off things. You’ve had a traumatic day.” Elladan took a seat next to her, wrapping an arm around her comfortingly.</p><p>“But I have to do something. I have to let my parents know I’m okay and not dead. They looked so sad!”</p><p> “There isn’t much you can do right now, except rest and recover. Perhaps tomorrow –”</p><p>“I think it would be best if you could fetch Lord Elrond,” Thranduil said. Sam jumped a little, having almost forgotten he was here. “Or Glorfindel, perhaps.”</p><p>“Perhaps it would be better for you to fetch him instead.”</p><p>Sam silently agreed with Elladan. She didn’t want to be left alone with Thranduil right now.</p><p>“The hour is too late for me to intrude upon Lord Elrond’s chambers. It would be most improper.”</p><p>“It would be most improper for Sam to be alone with someone she has yet to familiarize herself with,” Elladan retorted.</p><p>“Its okay, just go Elladan.” Sam intervened, her wish to speak to Elrond and relate her vision to him was more pressing than her reluctance to stay behind momentarily with Thranduil.</p><p>“I will return with ada shortly,” Elladan said, finally relenting. He stiffly exited the room, only stopping to throw a concerned look at Sam.</p><p>“What a stubborn child,” Thranduil sighed, taking a seat next to Sam on the sofa. Alarmed at his proximity, Sam nervously scooted away as inconspicuously as possible.</p><p>She wanted to ask why he didn’t help her immediately but feared it may sound too accusatory, instead she tried a more subtle approach.</p><p>“What happened back on the boat? I can’t remember anything after I passed out.”</p><p>“When I saw that you had stopped moving, I scooped you out and brought you here. Elladan met me somewhere along the way and fetched you blankets.”</p><p>“Oh. That’s it?”</p><p>“Were you expecting more?”</p><p>She frowned, disappointed that he wasn’t giving her the response she wanted. She could clearly remember him watching calmly as she was drowning, as if he didn’t care at all.</p><p>“Yes, actually.” She hesitated for a moment. “Why did you wait until the last moment?”</p><p>Thranduil angled his head at her. “I want you to learn to rely on your own strength. You are an elf now, after all, and no longer a human.”</p><p>She stared at him, too tired to really understand his answer. Or to know how to respond to it, for that matter. Shivering despite the fire, Sam mulled that explanation over as she wrapped the blanket tighter around her, willing Elladan to come back sooner.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And there we go! I hope it was worth the wait. Thranduil was pretty hard for me to write, but I think it turned out alright. Not too mean, and not weirdly nice. Let me know what you guys think! This chapter was honestly a blast to write.</p><p>For the next update date, it might still be a little while since I am still in the middle of my classes, but I promise it won't be as long as the wait in between chapters 8 and 9. Possibly sometime in April when all my finals are over.  Anyway, hope you guys liked it! :))</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sam could hear faint voices coming toward them and perked up immediately. <em>They were back already!</em></p><p>“Elladan informed me that you are unwell?” Elrond asked as he strode in, his clothes billowing behind him.</p><p>“Hi,” Sam greeted, leaning forward.</p><p>Elrond sat down on the couch, with Elladan following suit. His features were wrought in a concerned expression instead of the friendly one he usually wore. Sam gulped. Serious conversations had never been her forte.</p><p>“Go on,” Thranduil encouraged.</p><p>She wasn’t sure how to explain the situation. There was no way she was going to repeat the crazed rambling she had told Elladan and Thranduil — it made things seem less believable.</p><p>“Yeah, okay,” she began uncertainly. “Well, I fell into the lake today. It sucked and in the middle of drowning I saw a vision of … of my family. And not just any vision, it was like I was actually there. Everything was as vivid as real life. But my parents … they couldn’t see me even though I was shouting at them. My dog, though. I think he saw me.” She threw an anxious glance over at Elladan, hoping to receive some comfort from a familiar face.</p><p>“Have you ever had these visions before?” Elrond asked.</p><p>“No, just this once,” she said. “Do you think falling into the water was what triggered it?”</p><p>“I cannot say for certain.” Elrond went silent for a while, looking deep in thought.</p><p>Sam felt nervous, as if she was waiting on the verdict in a trial. She bounced anxiously in her seat. “It was real, wasn’t it? I mean elves are able to have visions like these, right?”</p><p>“It would not be unheard of,” he said finally. “Although for elflings to see them with that clarity isn’t common. However, I have no reason to believe that what you saw was false. If you must know, there is someone residing in Lothlorien who is able to see with as much clarity as you. It might help to be in correspondence with her?”</p><p>Sam sighed in relief. So she wasn’t going insane, thank god.</p><p>“Maybe, if you think it could help.” She wasn’t so sure about Galadriel — and who else could Elrond be talking about. Sure, she had her all-seeing mirror, but somehow that felt quite different from her own vision. </p><p>“It is getting late, so let us continue our conversation tomorrow. The matter is too serious to take a hurried decision on. Rest now. I promise you I will think more on this while you sleep,” he said. “Elladan, could you escort her back to her room? There are some things I must do before I retire for the night.”</p><p>They stood up, though Sam was still feeling unsure whether she had gotten an answer that would put her mind at ease. She did, however, trust Elrond to reflect further on what she had told him about the vision and to tell her about it. Until then, and perhaps after they had contacted Galadriel, there wasn’t much point in discussing it at greater length right now.</p><p>“Oh, and Sam,” he called right as they were about to leave. “Be sure to tell me if you have another vision. Perhaps with more information we can figure it out sooner.”</p><p>She nodded, and after saying a quick goodbye to Elrond and Thranduil, left with Elladan.</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The day after turned into several days. And then those days inevitably turned into a week. Sam had waited patiently for another vision to occur, and when none did, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She tried and tried to recreate what happened, even going as far as to go for a swim in the frigid lake, and yet nothing. The only thing it got her was Glorfindel’s ire, and getting banned from going anywhere without supervision.</p><p>For the week after, the twins and Estel accordingly stuck to Sam like glue. While they weren’t the worst company and did try to cheer her up, she couldn’t be distracted enough by them. There was always a nagging feeling at the back of her mind that refused to go away. Did the vision have any meaning? Was it even a real one? Why wasn’t she experiencing more of them? Or would the next one transport her back to her own world?</p><p>After another visionless day, Sam sighed and wandered back towards the main living quarters, feeling more than a little depressed. Maybe there was no chance to go home after all. Maybe the vision had been a fluke. She had managed to ditch the twins today and had to make sure they don’t spot her on her way back. It was already dawn, and she didn’t want to hear more from Glorfindel about wandering off.</p><p>Silently, or as silently as she could manage, she crept along the hallowed halls. There wasn’t anyone around however, and she soon straightened up, feeling mildly foolish. She racked her brain, wondering where everyone was; it wasn’t fully dark yet, and usually, there were at least a few elves hanging around. She continued on, this time not paying as much attention to the sound she was making when she heard faint voices straight ahead.</p><p>Sam paused mid-step. Should she go investigate? It wasn’t in the direction of her room and if it took too long Elrond might notice her absence. Besides, she was a little tired, and her comfortable bed was beckoning to her. In the end, her curiosity won out and she hurried toward the general direction of the voices.</p><p>As she approached, she could make out the distinctive voices of Elrond and Glorfindel, but there were others that she didn’t recognize. They sounded different from the melodic tones of the elves, which further fueled her curiosity.</p><p>Finally, she reached the end of the hallway and came out on a secluded gazebo on top of some stairs. Softly walking to the edge of it revealed an open courtyard some ways beneath her. A convenient tree seemed to envelop the gazebo, which hopefully meant that no elf would be able to spot her.</p><p> </p><p>When she finally glanced down, she was shocked. The voices she hadn’t recognized belonged to a group of people who definitely weren’t elves. They were men. Sam felt faint. It was hard to believe she was seeing humans again after having been in the exclusive company of elves for these past few weeks. The contrast between the elves and their human visitors couldn’t have been sharper too. They wore ragged clothing and looked nothing short of desperate. She felt a pang of sympathy. It seemed that the other races of Middle Earth didn’t have nearly as many resources as the elves.</p><p>From what she could see, there were also some other elves beside Elrond and Glorfindel, including Thranduil. She listened in without any difficulty as they seemed to be in a heated conversation — from the humans’ side at least. Elrond and Thranduil looked as calm as ever but the men’s voices had grown much louder.</p><p>“I’m afraid we cannot assist you in this matter,” Elrond was telling a miserable-looking man. “Though you have our sympathies, we simply aren’t in a position to provide aid. You may stay here for as long as you wish to if you need to recover.”</p><p>It wasn’t until Elrond was finished with his sentence when Sam realized he wasn’t speaking in elvish. She supposed it made sense for him to speak with these men using Westron, but was surprised that she could still understand it.</p><p>The men looked angry at the response and one of them spoke up.</p><p>“You elves live in such luxury, and can’t even help with such a small matter?” he huffed. Sam noted that the way he spoke differed from Elrond — as if he had an accent. Couple that with his gruff voice and it was nigh impossible for Sam to understand clearly. “Our children are dying so quickly we haven’t even got the time to bury them, but I suppose elves don’t care for that,” he spat.  The anger in his voice deeply unsettled Sam. The elves, and Aragorn, rarely displayed strong emotions, especially not anger.</p><p>Elrond looked disturbed, but it wasn’t him who spoke up.</p><p>“You dare intrude upon Imladris and insinuate that,” Thranduil sneered. Even from a distance, Sam could almost feel the chilly air that seemed to emanate from Thranduil and she shivered. She sympathized with the poor guy that had to face him. </p><p>The man drew back, his anger fading into fear. Elrond muttered something which made Thranduil back off.</p><p>“There is nothing we can do to help. Our own numbers have been steadily decreasing, and there are no healers that we can spare. I can provide some medicinal herbs that you may try, but nothing beyond that,” Elrond said more diplomatically. His voice held finality, though.</p><p>“It is only a simple sickness.” Another man stepped up, his tone pleading. “Nothing the skilled healers of Rivendell can’t heal. Please I beg you, my daughter is very ill, and I fear she may not last until the end of the month. I’ve already lost my wife, I cannot lose her too.”</p><p>“Please,” a third man begged. “Have you no pity? What if it had been your child that lay dying?”</p><p>Sam felt her blood freeze. A sickness? In this setting, they were all as good as dead if any of her knowledge of history was anything to go by. And if it was the black death, well, maybe the entire human population was at risk. She felt torn between wanting to keep a good distance from the men and bursting out and providing some insight on hygiene.</p><p> </p><p>At that moment, Glorfindel looked up directly at where Sam was. He turned to Elrond and said a few words before turning and walking in Sam’s direction. Sam flushed. Busted. She’d have to work on her hiding skills. Though with how observant the elves were, she wasn’t sure she could ever hide from them with any degree of success.</p><p>Within moments, Glorfindel had made his way up to the gazebo.</p><p>“Hey,” Sam said meekly, giving him a feeble wave.</p><p>“Sam, why are you up here, at this hour?” he asked, his voice disapproving. Sam could feel herself shrink.</p><p>“Just, uh, you know.” She gestured around vaguely, trying to find the right words. “I like this gazebo.”</p><p>“Of course,” Glorfindel said. He glanced down at where the group was still conversing. “I’m assuming you heard everything?”</p><p>“Mostly,” she admitted. “Am I not allowed to? They’re human, like me, so I think I got a right to see what’s happening with them.” She stared defiantly at Glorfindel, willing him to disagree.</p><p>“Perhaps,” he said. “Though wouldn’t you agree that you are far more an elf than human now? Or perhaps you think your former race holds the answer to your predicament? And that by helping, they will give you the answer you seek?”</p><p>“Yeah, maybe I do think I can help. Better than sitting back and doing nothing. Maybe I’m actually super good at the whole healing thing and you just don’t know it,” she said loudly.</p><p>“Elrond won’t approve,” he warned. “He rejected them for a reason, as you have no doubt heard.”</p><p>“He could be wrong.”</p><p>She glanced over the railing to see how Elrond’s conversation had been progressing.</p><p>The men were leaving, and Sam would have to hurry if she wanted to talk to them — she knew she had to.</p><p>Bouncing down the stairs with Glorfindel following right behind, she sprinted towards the elves as they watched the men go. She wasn’t quite sure she wanted to achieve exactly, but her instincts were telling her to do something.</p><p>“Hey! Wait!” she yelled to their backs. “I can help them.”</p><p>Elrond turned around, his eyebrows raised.</p><p>“Sam,” he said slowly. “Just what do you think you’re doing?”</p><p>Sam faltered. “I said I wanted to help. They’re sick right? I bet I can figure out why and solve their problem.”</p><p>If anything, Elrond’s eyebrows rose even further.</p><p>“Go back to your room Sam, we can speak of this further in private.”</p><p>“But they’re leaving and ...”  Sam paused, her heart racing. But resolve filled her tiny body, and she pushed on. “And I want to go with them.” Somehow, Sam felt sure of this decision. This was her chance to help, to finally do something meaningful. With her modern knowledge, it should be easy to figure it out. And above all, she empathized with these people. She was human, after all, despite her elvish appearance. As great as the elves were, she missed being around regular people. She still felt rather out of place in Imladris, despite both her and their best efforts.</p><p>“No, absolutely not,” Elrond said, and for the first time, Sam heard a sternness in his voice.</p><p>“What? why not?”</p><p>“Many reasons, Sam. Must we get into this here?” The annoyance in his tone made Sam almost want to stop and beg for forgiveness, his disapproval was almost too much to bear. She doesn’t, though.</p><p>“Yeah, we do. Just give me one good reason.”</p><p>“Alright. Sam, you are the last elfling. It would be extremely remiss of me to send you to a perilous place,” Elrond said. “And I’m also certain they don’t want help from an elfling such as yourself. You are but a child, despite real your age.” Elrond seemed to note the hurt on Sam’s face, for his toned softened. “However, I can help you become a healer. There is much knowledge I can impart on you if you wish to learn.”</p><p>They were fair points, for sure, but Sam wasn’t deterred. Ignoring Elrond she strode up to the men, trying her best to look confident.</p><p>“I can help you guys,” she said, feeling awkward.</p><p>They gave her a strange look as if they didn’t understand what she was saying. For a moment, Sam wondered if she had used the right language.</p><p>“You? Do you have any knowledge in healing?” The man’s voice was full of doubt.</p><p>“Yeah? I mean I can try?”</p><p>“Samantha, that’s enough,” Thranduil cut in. His voice held no room for argument.</p><p>“Erestor, could you please escort them out? Make sure to provide them with anything they might need,” Elrond said.</p><p>“Of course,” Erestor responded, and without another word, they were gone. Sam felt crushed. Why did everyone treat her like a kid, she was fifteen, for crying out loud. She cursed her appearance.</p><p>She was definitely going to help these people despite all the odds they have stacked against them. Despite the fact that she wasn’t an elvish healer and that her modern knowledge didn’t match that of a doctor. And also despite what Elrond had said.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Chapter 10 :D feels like a milestone doesn't it? <i>throws confetti </i> <br/>Anywayyy, hope you guys arent made about this late update. My finals are finally over, and I might be able to put in more time on this fic. No promises though :P But yeah, let me know what you think. Hopefully, the next chapter can be out in a month or even earlier. Until then, take care :D</p>
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